Chapter 3: Incident…

"But what if there's something that I keep missing

What if there's someone that I can't lose

Nights when I'm crying, will he listen?

Isn't there anybody?

-"Anybody's You" by Christina Grimmie

When it came to the silent treatment, Rui was a professional.

Ever since the day of the incident with her and Izumi, she stayed silent. It wasn't even for the entire work session; it was for the entire day. Touka thought it wouldn't last long if it was for a day. She figured that maybe the incident was a fluke and she would be fine once she got a good night's rest.

But then one day became two.

Then three.

Touka was not very well known with Rui's silent evasion from her and :re. Ever since she was born, she would always ensure that she would not feel lonely nor sad no matter what, and even if she did feel sad, she would make sure that she would say something to either her, Yomo or any of the employees of :re. Therefore, because of the endless amounts of support from them all, Rui never had gotten upset, silent, or shown any signs that she was not fine. She knew what to do whenever she needed to confide about something. Four years, and they all trained her so well when she wanted something for her own needs.

Despite that, despite anything, the time for her to not do anything had to be the most intimidating for Touka.

It was the middle of the day, at the time when the sun would reach its limited peak in the sky, and even everything at work was slow and silent. It's not unusual for :re to not have as many customers as it usually does, but it bothered Touka that out of all the days the shop had to be empty, it had to be today. Since the shop didn't have any customers, the employees were doing their own thing. Yomo and Miyu were waiting behind the counter, not talking to pass time, Aomi was washing cups in spite of having washed them three times before, Tomoya and Kaito were sitting by one of the seats by the window, Yoriko was frequently cleaning the tables, and Touka and Rui were also sitting in one of the seats and table–seated very maturely–in the middle of the store.

Touka didn't know what to do except stand up straight and keep her hands folded underneath the table. She continuously glanced at her daughter, playing with the two small dolls that she brought down with her. Just watching her, though, was not amusing, enhancing things at a slower rate than the original. She wanted to talk to her, to help her not be in her quiet state, but she somehow did not know how. She attempted to talk to her, but all she did was either ignore her or reply with a single word. The laconism was easily maintained by a small child that could easily be brusque if she wanted to.

Still, Touka couldn't give up easily. "Hey, sweetie," she smiled. "[2]How are you doing with Ruby and Sapphire?" Rui didn't look up. Even when she mentioned her dolls, Rui stayed silent. "They look very pretty," Touka leaned forward to look at the dolls, noticing how frilly Ruby's red hair was. "But Ruby's hair seems a bit messy." She pointed towards the red-haired doll. "Maybe you should brush it out so it could be as nice as her friend's."

The amount of effort Touka put into her small leaps of conversation was enough to make one cringe from the awkwardness. The employees could hear the conversation, but they did not want to intrude. They didn't even know if they were doing the right thing by leaving the manager with her personal attempts of connecting. Touka could sense what her friends and employees were thinking. They have known each other for four years and they have gotten too close that they could recognize everything in their movements. She almost felt ashamed that they also had to feel what she's feeling. Slouching back into her seat, she sighed, aware of everyone watching her and almost sounding like she was giving up. She's starting to become a lazy mother if anything.

Rui set down her dolls on the table and noticed Touka with her eyes facing the ceiling and slouching like a hobo. Her face was not cheerful nor boring, yet she stared at her mother as if she wanted something. "Mommy?"

Hearing her voice, Touka snapped her neck down towards Rui to see her calming gaze, and not seeing it towards the dolls. Fixing her posture, Touka gave a small smile and folded her hands on the table, predicting that she might ask her something. "Yes, sweetie?"

Rui looked like she wanted to blurt out what she wanted to say, but she kept it in as she tightened her lips. Her hands were underneath the table, holding onto the sides of her chair, and she moved her shoulders to show gracelessness, the one thing showed after she displayed no emotion for three days. She looked side to side before she forced her raised head to inhibit it to stare up at Touka.

"Tell me about my daddy," she blurted out like it was nothing.

The worst thing that Touka never wanted to happen happened. Everything in her body that she had to keep her sane and happy broke. Her smile converted into a sorrowful frown, her mouth wide open with no words coming out, and her eyes widened. They had a gleam, but it was not with joy.

The other employees in the shop, who heard Rui's comment, froze in their steps. Their heads were turned towards the mother and daughter, also shocked of what they had heard. Aomi was so shocked that she dropped a tray of coffee cups she was holding and let them fall to the floor. Broken glass was heard, as an assistance of what their hearts sounded like, but nobody turned away to stare, help, or scold Aomi. Even she didn't notice that one of the broken glass scratched her feet, being open from her flats, making them bleed for a brief moment before the cut sealed as if it never existed.

They all knew about Rui's father, aside from Yoriko who only knew half the truth(she thought that he was human and died at the bad place, at the bad time). They knew that he died at the Anteiku Raid, and he had to leave behind not just a heartbroken girlfriend, but a child with no memory of him. While they have not experienced that kind of memory, it still was a [3]whiplash to them: being reminded that their friend could not bring herself to talk about her daughter's father. She could've but she didn't. Because of that, she didn't know what to say.

The world went back into a normal pace, and Touka flexed her wrists to keep herself from not coming closer to shock. "Uhh," she murmured, clenching her fists underneath until the knuckles were white. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything," Rui said simply, not thinking about being specific. She had the expression of her mind being prepared to be preoccupied with what her mother would tell her. Her eyes gleamed brightly with determination and her knees were no longer dangling by the chair but rather rested on top of it.

"Oh, umm," Touka said, not knowing how to take the situation lightly. Her hands were no longer in fists, and one of them traveled to grasp her arm. It was not a strong grip, but it was keen enough to make bits of skin ascent from its average point on her arm. "What made you want to ask?"

"Because of Izumi and her daddy," she replied lightly, her hands being on the table. "And other daddies with their daughters that I keep seeing. How come they have one and I don't?"

Touka let out a deep sigh, in hopes of making her bite her tongue. "Sometimes, sweetie," she continued, her hairs bristling. "Not all families are perfect. Sometimes there's a family with no mom; sometimes there's a family with no dad; sometimes there's a family with neither both."

"So is daddy dead?"

Sometimes Touka didn't like how Rui understood more words than necessary. In another circumstance, she would've ignored the question, depending on how inept it was. She felt that there was no need to answer questions that were too dazed that even she wouldn't understand why they wouldn't comprehend it. But now she did not want to show any weaknesses towards her daughter, the one person who looked up to her. Even so, she had no hope that the outcome of her answering, being heard or not, would be good.

"Yes, he is," she replied miserably. The employees took steps forward and sometimes of them closed their eyes in dismay and distress.

Rui froze, letting the simple reply sink into her head and her heart. "Alright," she continued coldly, scaring Touka with her eyes and her single word that presented maturity. "That's fine. I just want to know about Daddy."

Touka rued the gene that made Rui just as stubborn as her and persistent as her father. She placed her fingers on the table to match the same form as her. "Rui…I don't think that this is a good time to tell you about him—"

"Why not?" Rui quirked her eyebrow, her tone easing into a stingy tone. "I want to know, and you can't be the only one knowing everything."

"It's not like that, sweetie," Touka defended, easing her head forward. "You're just too young to understand the circumstances revolving—"

Rui slammed her newly-created fist onto the table as she hunched down, her black hair descending on the table. Everyone in the shop jumped as they saw the youngest employee have a minor breakdown. They're not even sure if they could call it a breakdown. An adversity? An epiphany? Spontaneous nature? Either way, they all involved a sudden disturbance.

"I…don't care," she whispered, her fist being released on the table and her shadow too stiff to follow its master's commands. Her body was shaking, now, and the movements extended by the second. Noises were faintly heard by Touka and she could percept that she was whimpering.

[4]"Why?" She whimpered under her breath, her voice being hard to be understood. "It's not fair. I just…I just…"

Touka didn't leave. She didn't try to reassure her to not be upset. But somehow, no ideas of hers were ever good enough as she saw Rui tense. Not even the employees could even figure out what to do. Her head raised up so it could be seen that tears were trailing down her cheeks and her expression would show heartbreak as she finished her sentence.

"I just want my daddy!"

Not wanting to see Touka, Rui, with her eyes shut, jumped off the chair and ran to the door that connected to the apartment. Her cries of pain and anguish were heard aloud from her mouth and filled the entire cafe with echoes. It echoed for a few seconds until they followed up the stairs to the door that was left open and with no meaning of being closed by the young ghoul.

"Rui-chan!" Yoriko shouted as she ran across the cafe to the door and up the stairs without closing it. Everyone else stayed quiet and shocked as they heard the sound of footsteps gradually fading away.

Immediately, after Rui exited the room, Touka cursed herself and bit her lip. Her hands curled up on the table and all the actions that were only used for violence were all restrained, making her anger not be her main emotion as she always did. She could've let that feeling seep into her skin, but she let guilt be felt in its place.

Abandoning their places, Miyu and Aomi strode over to her table. Tomoya, Kaito, and Yomo didn't come over to Touka, to which they took their time rushing over to the spot where Aomi dropped the coffee cups. While the sound of glass was heard, Aomi sat in the seat that still had a small presence of Rui and placed her hands on top of Touka's. Miyu walked by her boss' side and set a hand on her shoulder. Her expression was not pleasant but it wasn't disrespectful.

"Touka," Aomi said, tightening her grip on her hands. She didn't call her "Boss" like she usually did whenever she was at work. But after saying her name, she and Miyu stayed silent. All they could do was hold onto a piece of her and give their best comfort.

Sounds of steps were heard, and Yoriko came back into the cafe as she closed the door behind her. "She locked herself in her room," she turned her head to Touka and her female coworkers. "And she wouldn't say anything when I tried talking to her."

Touka shut her eyes, preventing herself from letting tears escape. Moving her hands away from Aomi's grasp, she let them go against her hair, the fingers intertwining with some of her locks. "This can't be happening," she whispered. "Why now? Why not later?"

"You're not the only one who feels this way," Yoriko assured her, kneeling down on one knee and placing an arm on Touka's opposite shoulder. "A lot of mothers have to tell their children about their fathers once in a while."

"It's just so hard," Touka complained, her voice being slightly louder. "I don't know if I can tell her."

"Well, you should've told her earlier," Miyu said, her free hand twirling a strand of her hair.

"Miyu!" Aomi scolded. "That wouldn't have been good either way." She pulled Touka's hands away from her hair and set them on the table, her hands being on top. "Don't listen to her. It's not like she's the mother of anybody. If she was, she could've helped you and things would've been much easier."

"A bit off topic, Aomi-san," Miyu commented.

"Ah, man, shut up!" Aomi shouted at her. Miyu didn't apologize, but she had an expression of guilt as she quirked her lips to the side and placed a hand on her cheek. Touka sighed in both frustration and dismay.

"Anyway," Yoriko intervened, eyeing the two ghouls before looking back at Touka. "I think what Aomi-chan and Miyu-chan are trying to say is that maybe Rui needs some time alone to think this through. This is a lot to take in for a child, especially for her age, so she needs some time to think not just about the situation but about you as well. Plus, I doubt that she would stay mad at you forever. After all, she does have your kindness."

Touka didn't smile at Yoriko's comment, mostly because that that's not entirely true. Yoriko sighed, her hand managing to hold onto Touka's hand. "Just try not to think about it, Touka-chan. You can talk to her later, but just give her space for now."

Touka looked at Yoriko and gave a small smile, as well as nodding towards her. Yoriko didn't believe that that sign meant that she was okay, as did Miyu and Aomi, but she decided to take it as an assurance. Smiling, she rose up to her feet as she transformed into a cheery persona. "Well, we better get back to work." She looked towards the two coworkers and pointed at them. "Just because there's no customers yet doesn't mean that this is a day off, women!"

"You're not even the boss, Yoriko-san," Miyu rolled her eyes before walking back to the counter.

"Yeah, well, at least I do my best doing things!" Yoriko shouted. Miyu turned her head to give a smirk and a wink. It lessened when she turn her head around, as she knew that she couldn't try to be cheerful if she tried. Aomi squeezed Touka's hand before she rose from her seat to walk quickly to the counters with Yoriko tailing her. They tried their best to be happy, but they couldn't with the infliction in their minds

While all the employees continued with their commissions, Touka remained in her seat. She already had a lot on her mind. She thought about her herself; she thought about her lover; she thought about her daughter. She thought about what happened between her and Izumi, even about how she had her hands on her chin. She figured that she got that from Kaneki, but she ignored it since she sometimes lies with no need of doing the act. However, she felt guilty that she believed her silly little lie when she had an inkling that it was one.

Because of that, the curiosity few in Rui when Touka never wanted it to appear. Nothing ever prepared her for the moment when Rui would start to grow curious about her father. Most of that inexperience was of her blame: the fact that she said nothing throughout the years about her father. The fact that all she did was kept quiet about the man she loved, let alone mourn in silence, was good enough for her to keep her safe.

Ultimately, her time was up.

"Earth to Sassan!"

Haise looked up from the files of reports he was reviewing and gaped at his underling, Ginshi Shirazu. He was slightly annoyed by the fact that he had stolen his reading glasses. Ever since he assigned him to be the new squad leader of the Quinx Squad, his cockiness had blown through the roof. He almost wished he hadn't given him the job.

"What's my squad's next mission?" Shirazu asked, pushing his glasses up to his nose by the second.

Haise cast him a shrewd glance. "We're going after a ghoul called Nutcracker." His nimble fingers flashed in front of Shirazu's eyes before snatching back his glasses. "And I'll take these back."

Shirazu's cockiness changed into bewilderment as if he was a part of a magic show and he was the assistant/victims. "But they looked cool!"

Tooru Mutsuki, who was beside his colleague, released a brittle laugh. "They don't even fit you."

"You don't know that!" Shirazu shouted, making Mutsuki raise his hands above his head as if he didn't know anything. If anything, he wanted to stop the conversation. It was accustomed to him to at least be part of a friendly conversation, even while the topic was changed to their vocation.

Haise rolled his eyes again as he put his glasses inside one of the pockets in his coat. Flipping the documents in his hands, he stopped once he reached the fourth page. "Focus, you two!" He commanded, and the two stopped their argument to pay their heads towards their mentor.

After he and Akira visited Shimoguchi at the hospital, he wanted to call in his squad for a meeting about the new ghoul they were hunting down and how they're meeting with Juuzou Suzuya's squad for more details on it. However, he was only able to call in half of his squad. Urie was doing his own thing, as suspected with his selfish needs towards his work, but most importantly because he didn't want to see the person replacing him for the squad leader. Saiko didn't want to go out, considering that she wanted to go out and buy a new game. It was entirely frustrating to see his squad being lazy or disloyal to their teamwork, but he was determined to see some work being done about the new ghoul. He already lost to Torso, and he did not want to be overpowered again. Hopefully, Suzuya's squad will be able to help them out.

"Okay," Haise said after he finished reviewing the information. "I guess that's everything. Besides me having to review all of this to Urie and Saiko again, it seems that you guys know what's going on." He slipped the documents back into his bag without having to break contact. "How about we get something to drink before we head on home?"

Mutsuki nodded with a smile, both being made in a slight manure. "Yeah."

Shirazu raised an eyebrow. "Depends. You paying?"

Haise sighed nervy. "I guess so." He reluctantly grinned, but his hand being on his waist showed dominance. "I've been visiting many coffee shops since I was Rank 2. Then again, I would like to see what we would come across…"

He turned his head to make himself see Shirazu and Mutsuki drowning out his voice by speaking about Saiko. He trailed off his sentence, and his face was tilted to the side with a half smile. Before letting it casually cease form, he turned his head back forward and he continued walking with his underlings on his tail.

The walk was not long—able to surpass five minutes—as there were various localities around Haise to pass the time. There were stores that seemed to provide a possible interest, the traffic was not intrusive, and the other groups besides his own were walking in a silent yet fulfilling way to provide company. He hasn't been to the 16th ward [5] as much, but it's always pleasant for him to notice the calm lifestyle when it is not interrupted by ghoul activity.

Shirazu walked quickly so that he would catch up to Haise. "Sassan!" He shouted, pointing his finger at a nearby sign. "There's a cafe over there!"

Haise stopped in his tracks to take in the sight of the quaint cafe. It wasn't small, as he could see it having a second floor, but it was wedged in between its other neighbor buildings. It was the middle of the day, but a shadow's extension had proceeded itself to cover part of his figure. The aroma of coffee could be inhaled through his nose, and he was suddenly filled with delight and nostalgia. He had never seen this cafe before…but he suddenly felt charged by the sensational tone. It reminded him of home, as if.

Haise nodded with his smile being content again. "Sure. I've actually never been here before, so it'd be nice to see another shop I haven't been to."

Mutsuki nodded but his glance was not towards his companions but rather at the sign displayed on the curb. He looked strangely at it, almost confused. "How do you even pronounce the name, Sasaki-san?" He asked, pointing his fingers towards the sign. Haise and Shirazu walked a few more steps to better their visions on what Mutsuki was mentioning.

Shirazu bared his teeth once he saw the sign. "Rrrrrrriiiiiiiiiii?" He said questioningly, each hesitation being exaggerated by his shark-like teeth, enhancing the chatter through them and his lips becoming dry from not being in contact for a few seconds.

Haise had trouble once he saw the sign, but the amounts of books he had read in his years as an Investigator helped him understand the meaning of the word. It was odd for it to appear yet he was able to make it out. "It's not that hard, Shirazu," he said, his tone being more intent than ardent. "It's pronounced :re."

Positioning himself to his mature and straight manner, Shirazu shrugged his shoulders. "The more you know," he chuckled, making Mutsuki mimic his tone with the same action.

Haise raised his hand, being near the cafe door. "Shall we?"

The two Investigators didn't reply to their mentor as a guarantee towards him. All of them smiling, Haise opened the door, the sound of bells being heard through their ears. He let Mutsuki enter first, his hands being held onto the lapels of his white trench coat, and Shirazu came after him, his hands I his coat and having the ability to hide his teeth with a closed-mouth grin. Once they entered, Haise let himself enter inside, already feeling the warmth of the shop envelop his body.

That would be the only silent and pleasant feeling he would gain for the day.

1. I honestly don't have any words about Christina Grimmie's murder. I found out about her when I was just 10 years old and she was one of the few people I looked up too. Her voice soothed me whenever I felt down and it made me have hope. To hear that someone would be so heartless as to take away such a wonderful person from this world is sickening and tragic. I decided to honor her by including one of her songs from her recent EP in this chapter. I know it's sorta late, but I would like to at least let her know that she will live on through her fans' lives, including my own, forever. RIP Christina

2. *in a singing voice* WE. ARE THE CRYSTAL GEMS. WE'LL ALWAYS SAVE THE DAY. AND IF YOU THINK WE CAN'T, WE'LL ALWAYS FIND A WAY. THAT'S WHY THE PEOPLE OF THIS WORLD BELIEVE IN. GARNET. AMETHYST. AND PEARL. AND STEVEN!

Yes, I like Steven Universe. Well, sorta. I'm starting to watch the series and I love it! Ruby and Sapphire are two characters later introduced in the show, but I won't say anything else about them because *in River Song's voice* SPOILERS! ;P

3. "Were you rushing or were you dragging?"

.

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Considering with the emotions coming in here too early in this chapter, in my opinion, I believe I was rushing, jk lol XDXDXD The serious amount of emotion in the movie "Whiplash" was amazing that I was so shocked by not realizing that the name "Whiplash" fits the title of the movie. Now every time I say that word or someone says it, I am quickly reminded of the film that goes by the same name. As a jazz musician, of course, I watched the movie and I LOVED it. It brought out the emotions and stress that a regular musician would have and I recommend you to watch it.

4. Remember the fight Hinami and her mom had in episode 6 of the first season of Tokyo Ghoul? Brings back memories, huh? *sniffles*

5. I did some research for :re's location. While it is never said where the cafe is set at, there has been some speculation that it may be in the 16th ward. This is not confirmed, but I would like to mention it as a possibility of the cafe's location.

It's been a long time sine I've updated and I apologize for the wait. I apologize if the story is slow, but I need to work this way, but I promise to work as hard as I can. Remember, I have another story I still need to update and it will take a while. Also, I have a question for you guys. When I update my story, is it noticeable on the Tokyo Ghoul list for the website? Because I keep checking it on the page and it doesn't show up. Please let me know what you guys think of the story in the comments please! Love you all and I hope you all o great until next time. BYE BYE! 333333

It has been a crazy week, especially in Orlando. I was absolutely terrified about what happened and I cannot believe that our world has come to the violence. However, I'll still remain positive and hopeful for the future of myself, my family, and everyone living. I know I don't know all of you and I might never will, but that does not mean that I do not care. I do, and I hope that all of you are all safe with your loved ones. We are given lives that we don't kno when it will end, so please enjoy it to the fullest. Thank you and I'll keep praying.