There was a sound of ruffling around her when her eyes flickered open to reveal a bright room. She had to blink to adjust to the new light and as everything came into focus, she realised she was lying flat on her stomach upon a wooden floor.

"That was quick." It was a familiar voice, feminine yet cold. "We just got you here."

Morie could only groan as the other individual left the room. Everything was trickling back to her through the pain in her ribs, her back, her arms. She instantly shot up when the image of Hide's unconscious body shot into her mind. Her eyes darted around the room taking in shelves stacked with bags of coffee and boxes. Other boxes were pushed against the walls of the room presumably to make room for where she was lying. The window was mostly covered by the blinds but due to the inky blackness between the gaps, Morie knew night time had finally fallen. Upon a mattress situated under the window sill was Hide's slowly breathing body.

She crawled over to his form ignoring the feeling of blood drying and sticking to her clothing and the stabbing feelings telling her to stop moving. Her arms heaved her body upwards to gaze upon his form. His black and sunny yellow jacket had been splattered with flecks of red and wrapped firmly around his head was a bandage slowly blooming a red flower.

"You're alive," she breathed heavily and smiled before fully picking herself up and slinking to the door.

Peering out of its doorframe her eyes fell upon a mismatch of people with serious faces standing in the hallway, talking. There was the girl she first saw when she awoke, a wrinkled man with the pressed clothes of a waiter, a man clad in black with silvery hair framing his frowning face and a woman with long black hair also wearing a uniform. It looked like the woman had only just climbed the stairs to meet everyone.

"Koma is currently minding the café and readying it to be closed," the woman said whilst holding a bundle of white and black clothes clutched to her chest. "Hopefully these will fit the lady you rescued, Touka. How are the others healing?"

It was the old man's turn to speak. His voice was calm, soothing yet it had an air of authority around him. "The young ghoul is still unconscious and will most likely be asleep for another hour or two. I have given him something to eat as well to curb his hunger. Touka, I gather that you have taken care of the other two?"

"About that…" the girl sighed. "The one that was already unconscious has been treated and looks like he will be out for a while but the other one, her bleeding has stopped by itself." Her eyes narrowed in thought but was broken by the gesture of the silver haired man who had raised a hand and pointed directly at Morie.

"Irimi, I judge that you can sort this out?" the eldest man requested.

The waitress nodded her head and calmly walked up to Morie, smiling reassuringly to ease the injured woman's thoughts. "You should lie back down, Miss."

Morie blinked and stepped back into the room. "Who are you people?" she demanded as her body sunk to the floor. Her hands brushed against the coldness of a metallic white box and she hissed as a sharp stab shot up her neck. Morie exhaled heavily as sweat started to bead around her forehead and noticed a bucket filled with water sitting near the box.

"We are the employees of Anteiku and we help those in need. Do you remember what happened to you?" The older woman asked as she directed Morie to lie back down on her stomach exposing the bloodied back of her clothing stuck to her skin. "I'm sorry about this, but I will need to cut your shirt in order to treat your wounds."

Morie felt the coolness of scissor's blades snip at her t-shirt. There would be no saving the Uniqlo shirt after this. As the cutting continued Morie explained that she remembered everything from Hide being kicked to Kaneki going berserk.

"So, you know that your friend is a ghoul."

"I've known since the day I met him which wasn't very long ago, like about a week."

Whilst Irimi worked and as the shirt was neatly cut up the centre, Morie felt the soothing sensation of a damp cloth wiping away the dried blood to free the fabric from the scratches. As the gentle touch of it pressed down upon her shoulder blades, Irimi said, "Are you afraid of him?"

"No, but I can't deny that I thought I was going to die there. That scared me."

"What about Touka, the girl who rescued you?"

"If you are asking if I am afraid of ghouls, the answer is no."

As the last few bits of fabric were moved away, the waitress unhooked Morie's bra and inspect the shrinking wounds with curiosity. With every minute that passed, each cut closed up, knitting itself together with thin threads of muscle until noting remained but slivers of pale pink. To prevent anything from cutting them open again, she applied Band-Aids and disinfectant cream to them. "Your body has some interesting properties. Have you always healed this quickly?"

Morie turned to head to get a better view of Irimi. "What do you mean?" Morie questioned before pausing. "I suppose I do heal quickly when compared to other people though. I always have."

The waitress paused and returned Morie's stare before working on removing the sleave around Morie's right bicep to disinfect the bite that had started to scab up. "It's on par with a ghoul's… You are human, right?"

"As far as I kno-" Morie instantly started lifting her body up much to the surprise of Irimi who had moved back to give the woman some space as she would have needed her to sit up to tread the arm injury. "Food. Do you have any normal food? I will pay for it later." Her head was hung low but her eyes looked up fiercely.

Irimi shifted her arms closer to Morie, close to her arms in a reassuring way. "Just relax. We need to get you cleaned up first."

Morie remained still as Irimi gently removed what dried blood remained before applying padding and taping it down. The waitress' hair tickled her nose as she worked. It was strange, a scent that she had only smelt a few times before when she was first working with a vial of RC cells. She couldn't say it reeked or was pleasant but it certainly smelt unique, a mixture of a metallic tang with hints of something no human could describe.

It then dawned on her.

"This place, Anteiku you called it, you're all ghouls."

The final piece of tape was applied to Morie's skin as Irimi retreated back from Morie to retrieve the clothing she brought in. "Anteiku is a café run by ghouls in the 20th Ward in order to preserve peace. I was hoping the Manager would be able to explain it to you after we treated your injuries and you awoke but you figured it out by yourself. Truthful told, the workers here were going to pretend that the injuries you received were from a car crash."

Morie looked over to Hide's sleeping form, analysing his peaceful face. "A car crash… I think that can work," she pondered before looking back at Irimi. "It's nice here. I suppose Anteiku is responsible for the low amount of ghoul activity in this ward."

"Yes. Now, does anything else hurt?"

Morie glanced down at her stomach. "My ribs I think, but they only feel bruised."

Irimi lifted up the tatters of the shirt and inspected the area. Surely, dark splotches of blue decorated the lower half of Morie's rib cage. Her hands brushed over one of the marks to feel if any of the bones had moved. Morie flinched back as a stabbing pain shot through her body.

"Your ribs don't seem to be broken but there is heavy bruising around the area. Rest will be able to heal it." Irimi shifted the clothing closer to Morie and gestured to it. "These clothes are some of my spare uniforms. They should be able to fit you," she warmly smiled. "I'll see to it that we get you some food. You can come down that stairs once you are ready."

As the waitress left with the medical equipment, Morie peeled off her shirt and held it out in front of her. Truly beyond repair. No longer was navy a majority of colour but instead a dark plum decorated it. From tears and scratches, threads had frayed, weakening the weave and leaving holes in its wake. Then there was the cutting Irimi had done, straight up the middle of the back and around the right sleave. Just a rag now, Morie thought to herself as she scrunched it up and placed it beside her. She'd hoped that her pants faired better but due the condition of her shirt, she really doubted that it did; blood was hard to remove once stained after all.

Hooking her bra back together, she started changing into the spare clothing which compiled of a simple white button up shirt, stockings and black skirt. Her sneakers clashed with the outfit but honestly, Morie had never cared much for fashion, viewing it as a waste of time.

With one last glance at Hide, Morie left the room and close the door as quietly as possible. As she edged through the hallway and down the stairs, the sound of arguing met her ears.

"You can't be serious, letting them stay here! That woman will rat us out let alone the other human. What if he remembers too!"

"It is our policy to help others," she heard Irimi say.

Morie peered around the corner to the scene. The black-haired woman was behind a wooden bar counter, cleaning a cup with a drying cloth. Leaning against the opposite side was her rescuer, arms crossed and staring daggers.

"I don't think Hide will remember anything," noted Morie, making her presence known as she rounded the corner and approached the other individuals. "He was knocked out first."

"Whatever," the brooding girl snapped leaning down to Morie who had taken up a stool by the counter. Her eyes burned with intensity. "You shouldn't even be awake yet let alone being here."

Morie greeted her stare with one as equally strong. "I thank you for saving me but right now I feel like I am entitled to be in this café."

"You," she snarled as footsteps echoed around the room.

The elderly man walked made his way down from the stairs, opened his eyes and looked at the teenager. "I think you should follow Koma's footsteps and go home for the night, Touka."

With a "tch" the teenager stomped upstairs and returned a few moments later holding a bag. The door slammed shut as she left the building.

"I must apologise for Touka's behaviour," said the elderly man. "Unfortunately, she has the tendency to be vocal when discussing her opinion on things she dislikes." The man walked behind the counter to stand next to Irimi. He grabbed the cup the waitress had just finished polishing along with a glass pot and filter. "You may call me Yoshimura. I own Anteiku. This is Kaya Irimi." He gestured to the waitress as she nodded her head slightly. "May we know your name?"

"It's Morie, Morie Masuda."

Yoshimura closed his eyes briefly in though before tipping some coffee granules in the filter and slowly manoeuvring steaming water over it in a circular motion. The bitter odour of coffee filled the room and Morie couldn't help but notice how nice it smelt. It was nothing like her cheep coffee she used with her coffee machine. It was deep and rich and extremely inviting.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a plate was slid in front of her by Irimi who then went back to polishing glasses. "The food is on us for the day," she smiled. "We would like feedback on the cake however." With a curt nod to Yoshimura, Irimi wiped down the benchtop and announced her resignation for the day before grabbing her belongings and leaving Anteiku.

Morie directed her attention on the white plate stood a slice of chocolate cake not unlike the one she ate when Hide first came to visit her. Butter cream icing was spread roughly on the icing and a fat strawberry was situated on a piped blob towards the outer edge of the cake.

Mother, Morie thought as she picked up the fork that accompanied it and stuck it into the cake before raising it to her mouth. As it touched her tongue, she felt its spongey texture but no flavour accompanied it. It was like eating thin air. Somewhat hastily, Morie took a bite of the strawberry next. Like the cake before it, there was no flavour. Oh Mother, don't tell me… Morie once again thought to herself.

Yoshimura finished preparing the coffee and poured it into two separate tea cups and placed one next to Morie's plate. She instantly grabbed the coffee not caring how hot it was and took a sip. The brown liquid travelled down her throat leaving an explosion of bitterness accompanied by a slight acidic undertone.

"I can't taste the cake but I can the coffee." She then paused and looked down. Images of seeing her mother looming over her father's body and those eyes, ruby, onyx and full of tears. Her eyes started to water but she blinked the tears away. It was always a possibility, a possibility that she was at risk, just like her mother. Her eyes darted towards the elderly man. "Do you think it is possible for a person born human to become a ghoul naturally?"

Yoshimura took a sip of his coffee. "It is not something I have thought of," he answered. "What makes you ask that?"

Morie sighed and looked up fighting to hold back tears. "Family history. My mother was born human then she got diagnosed with ROS. She was like a normal patient from what I can remember but one day, she recovered from it. When my father and visited her, she was no longer human."

"I have never heard of something like that occurring before," mentioned Yoshimura.

Morie nodded. "The CCG didn't make it public. They don't really make anything public unless it is a raid. I need to do some tests," she declared before finishing her coffee. "You don't happen to have any of my belongings, do you?"

Yoshimura reached inside of the pocket of his waiter's apron and pulled out two sets of keys and the scalpel. "I assume you mean these."

"Yes." Morie retrieved the items and cradled the scalpel close to her heart. "They would kill me if I lost this."

"Isn't that quinque steel?" the man questioned after taking a sip from his coffee. "How did you get it?"

Morie wasn't sure if she should answer the question, just to avoid stirring any panic within her company but decided too anyway. "I have an agreement with CCG but just because we are on good terms does not mean I support their actions. I research ghouls and share my findings. They help provide me with equipment and materials so I can conduct my said research. Currently, I'm trying to create artificial food."

The duo sat around calculating the information that they had just received when a startling scream resonated throughout the building before being followed by a thud as Kaneki's body hit the floor in shock. Morie instantly flicked her head in the direction of the sound and was about to get up to walk towards her friend but was stopped by Yoshimura.

"I think it is best that you remain downstairs at the moment," he said. "We wouldn't want Kaneki to panic any more than he is now."

Thus, Morie remained sitting at the counter and finished off the last bits of her tasteless cake. Her mind swimming with plans and counter actions on how she might need to adjust her life. When would she need to cannibalise? What would the CCG do to her if they found out? I'd die, I suppose…, she mused to herself before letting out a quite laugh.

It was about fifteen minutes before Yoshimura appeared again, this time with a zombie-looking Kaneki trailing behind him, eyes hazy and lazily watching the steps he descended. Once he saw Morie, he froze and looked away, tears welling in his eyes.

Morie got up from her seat and slowly walked towards him. "Kaneki, it's alright. I forgive you. I forgive Shirozumi, so I can forgive you too." She tried to give a comforting smile but it came out wonky, her mind too busy worrying her situation.

"But I-I could have killed both you and Hide." Tears were streaming down his face and his body had started to tremble.

"Sit." Morie ordered and directed him to the stool next to hers at the counter. "We got out alive but you need to not starve yourself."

Yoshimura had started making another cup of coffee for Kaneki. "Young Morie is correct. If this continues than you will not only put your friends in more danger but yourself too." He finished making the coffee then reached behind him to grab a jar of what looked like brown sugar cubes. He picked up two of them used a pair of tongs and plopped them into the coffee. Upon seeing the sobbing Kaneki drink the coffee without any gags or spluttering, Morie gathered that the cubes were more than met the eye and made a mental note to ask about them later.

Morie got up and walked to one of the tables which had chairs stacked up around the edges and grabbed a handful of napkins. She brought them to Kaneki who then immediately reached for one and blew his nose.

Once Kaneki had calmed down, Yoshimura cleared his throat. "Kaneki, Miss Masuda why don't you come work here for a while? We can show you how we ghouls live our lives."

Morie was the first to speak. "I don't think I can work right now as I still have to write reports for the CCG but if I can do you mind if I work here? I will be happy to help out where I can however."

After thinking about the offer, Kaneki eventually agreed to the proposition.

It was nearly nine o'clock when Morie decided to go home although she doubted that she would be able to get a good night's sleep. She wanted to return home, boot up her computer and write notes, notes and plans on her course of action for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, there was an Excel table that needed adding to. So, she excused herself from the café and received directions from Yoshimura to find her way home.

Although she wanted to remain until Hide awoke too, she knew both he and Kaneki were in good hands.

There was beauty in the night around her from the lights that streaked passed her to the noises of various activities echoing throughout the vicinity. And for the second time in her life, she breathed in the city air appreciating every sight, touch, smell and noise that belonged to this small piece of the world. Life was flawed, unfair and tragic but in this moment Morie felt alive.