Miyu sat at the counter of her empty coffee shop with a pan of brownies in front of her and her favorite extra large mug full of fresh brewed coffee. It was early in the evening, around six.

Restless, unnerved, and angry from the encounter with Kaneki, she had come home to clean her apartment then proceeded to go downstairs to the coffee shop to clean everything spotless including polishing all of the coffee implements twice.

Tired, her back aching, and her fingers cramping, she sat down for a little chocolate therapy. Foregoing a plate, she picked up a fork to stab the center, the gooey heart, of the brownies with walnuts. There would be no shame or guilt for eating the whole damn pan by herself. She was experiencing far too much shame and guilt for other sins she had committed in her life.

The insanity needed to stop. All of it. Perhaps she should go home for a while, separate herself from all of the things driving her crazy. She could reconnect with her roots, find her center before she fell hopelessly off kilter. Maybe she should ask Kuki to go with her, to meet her father, and to allow him to learn more about her. Nah, too soon for meeting Dad.

Miyu shoved a fork full of fudgy nut laden chocolate into her mouth. She closed her eyes to savor the sweet treat, humming in satisfaction. Nothing soothed the soul quite like chocolate.

There was a knock on the door. Surely not a customer. It was far too early and the closed sign was displayed prominently. The sound had been more of a tap really. Like someone barely striking one of the small panes of glass in the multi sectioned window of the door with a knuckle. The tentative knock made her think the person did not want to be heard.

Sliding off of the bar stool, Miyu tiptoed to the door. Pulling back the side of the window-shade with a single finger, she peeked through the long slit. No one. Hmm, weird. She knew she heard someone. Pulling the sun yellowed shade back further, she caught a glimpse of a back covered by a fawn colored coat, fur trim around the hood, moving away at a fast clip. Only one person, one Dove, she knew, wore a coat like that. Flipping the lock and twisting the doorknob, she flung open the door.

"Ginshi!" she yelled to make him stop. "I'm here!"

Ginshi froze in his tracks, his head and shoulders drooping. Gradually he rotated his body to face her. He smiled, a forced upturning of his lips that did not erase the cloud of gloom covering not just his face but his entire being.

"Come on in," she invited him, waving him forward as if he were a shy child. "Let's talk."

Once he was inside, she closed and locked the door then rushed behind the counter to cut the cake and pour him a cup of coffee. At first they sat in silence, chewing on their desserts and their feelings.

"I almost missed your knock," Miyu said, opening the channel for communication. "Were you hoping I wasn't here?"

"Yeah," he admitted, poking at the remaining crumbs of the cake. "This was delicious."

"Thank you."

More silence followed. However, it was not necessarily uncomfortable. It's true what they say that misery loves company, and at the moment both of them were stewing in their angst.

"How did you handle it when you killed someone for the first time?" Ginshi questioned her.

"Honestly, it took a while for the reality of what I had done to sink in. It was too surreal to believe. Like I was having a bad dream, but I was awake," she said, trying to remember exactly how it had felt.

"It wasn't like that for me. As I looked at her, this weight...this crushing weight settled into my chest," he said, patting his chest with the flat of his palm. "I thought I was having a heart attack or something. It hurt. And it made me sad. The worst kind of sad I didn't know existed."

Miyu pensively sipped her coffee, mulling over his words. His reaction seemed much more normal than hers. She never really had experienced much emotion about killing - sometimes a tinge of remorse, anger, or disgust - and nothing at all from her first kill. Of course, as Arima had so brilliantly pointed out to her as they stood over the dead body of her first dead ghoul, she had literally been bred and born to kill just like the man she had murdered.

"Something she said before dying reminded me of my sister. I think that's what has bothered me the most," he murmured. "I feel like sometimes I didn't do enough to help my sister. So that's why I do what I do now. I kill to make money to save Haru."

Miyu refilled his cup. She slid the half eaten pan of brownies over his way. Without a word, he dug into the corner extracting a large piece of the more well done, cake like textured part of the brownie.

"We all do things we hate, that we regret, to help others," she muttered, taking a large gulp of the strong bitter coffee that matched her emotions. "At least what you're doing isn't harming anyone. At least no one that doesn't deserve what they get."

"Does it ever get any easier to deal with?" he inquired, staring directly at her.

Miyu avoided his intent gaze, refusing to meet his eyes. That was the second time today someone had asked her that question. A person hurting so profoundly they were desperate to cease their agony. She could only offer empty words, platitudes and useless advice, in an effort to ease their suffering. Once again, she would be completely honest.

"No," she stated with harsh bluntness. "You get used to it. Well, I don't think you can ever grow accustomed to taking a life, not even that of a murderous ghoul, but you go numb. You do what you have to do. Keep your goal in mind. Remember why you're doing what you do. That will help."

She hoped. How could he believe her words when she did not believe the bullshit spewing out of her mouth?

"Thanks, Miss Miyu."

There was a knock on the door. A powerful banging on the wooden part of the door with a closed fist. Before she was off of her seat, the person was already knocking again. She only knew one person who knocked on a door that way.

"Kuki," she murmured, ripping open the door.

"Is Shirazu here?" he demanded without a greeting.

"Hi, honey. It's nice to see you too," she greeted him with sarcasm. If he had at least said hello, she would have been genuinely been happy to see him.

"I'm here," Ginshi said, coming to stand behind her. "What's up?"

"Come on. We need to get to headquarters. We have a big mission," he told Ginshi, ignoring the woman standing right in front of him.

"How big?" Miyu asked, doubting he would tell her.

"Big," he replied vaguely, giving her the answer she expected.

"A good chance you'll die kind of big?" she questioned him.

Urie stared at her, his eyes a blank slate.

"I'll be waiting outside," Ginshi announced, opening the door wider to slide past Miyu.

Urie gently pushed her into the cafe, kicking the door closed behind him.

"There's always a chance I could die on any mission," he reminded her as if she had forgotten what it was like to be a member of the ghoul investigation squad.

"I have a gut feeling that this assignment ranks higher on the danger scale than most. You said mission. That usually means an intricate operation. This is a well planned conclusion to an investigation that will bring down a serious ghoul or group of ghouls."

Urie smiled, that cocky sideways grin of his that infuriated her. At the moment, his confident smirk made her tremble because she knew she had nailed it.

"You're so very smart," he said, almost sounding like he was mocking her.

Miyu held his gaze when he reached out to stroke her cheek with his gloved hand. Her eyes did not leave his when he withdrew his hand abruptly, bringing it to his mouth to remove the glove using his teeth. She reached up to take the piece of black leather out of his mouth when he cupped her cheek with his bare hand.

The electrical tingle of his skin against hers created a humming noise in her ears. The hairs along the back of her neck stood on end with anticipation, not fear, when he lowered his mouth to hers. A spark crackled between them as his lips touched hers for their first real kiss.

Her fingers gripped the lapels of his coat as he kissed her with a tenderness she had only been given the hint of a promise of until now. His lips lifted briefly before pressing back to hers in a more insistent, urgent kiss. She sighed when his arms enveloped her, holding her close but maintaining a gentle pressure on her body. He kissed her and embraced her in a way that encouraged her to meet him halfway, following through on her own emotions.

Miyu's lips parted and his followed suit. His tongue immediately sought hers for a short meeting, a simple touch, before retreating. She whimpered as his lips closed, puckering to kiss hers before lifting.

She kept her eyes closed, possessively holding onto him by his coat as he pressed his forehead to hers. Worry tightened her gut and made every muscle in her body rigid. She did not want him to leave her, but she knew he had to go.

"You better come back to me," she commanded him.

"I will," he promised. He kissed her again, quickly.

Miyu reluctantly unhinged her fingers from his leather jacket, smoothing out the lapels and patting his chest.

"Go," she said, stepping back from him.

"I'll come back. When I do, I'm going to make you mine." For the first time, he gave her a sincere smile.

Her belly turned somersaults of joy seeing that smile. Her guts instantly constricted into a tight, sickening knot of anxiety when he opened the door and stepped outside. The tears in her eyes caused his image to ripple.

"I'm already yours," she laughed to push down the fear welling inside her.

"No, I mean - "

"Hey, Urie!" Ginshi yelled, opening the door to the cab. "Let's go!"

Urie's eyes met hers. "You know what I mean."

"Is that a threat or a promise, Kuki Urie?"

"Oh, it's definitely a promise."

As he walked away, Miyu thought, It's a promise you damn well better keep, Kuki Urie.