Yo, Yo, Yo! Chapter 4 has arrived! Thanks once more to those who are enjoying my story! A special thanks to those who review! Your feedback helps me more than you might think! As always, i own nothing but the plot, yo! Enjoy!

They did as they usually did. They'd laugh and tease through the door and traveled in a small herd to the same table, throwing quips and harmless insults. She was torn. Her heart wanted to scream and cry, and beat his memory back into him, to draw him back out. In her head she wanted to cleave his head off right there, rip off his limbs and scream at him. Scream at him for breaking his promise and becoming the one thing she despised more than herself.

She didn't know when she started to feel so violent towards him, but she had an idea of why.

Yomo had beaten her to service today, which she was grateful for. An icy lump built in her throat, and she leaned on the wall, just out of sight. Chest constricting, her memories of Kaneki breezed through her head. She remembered him, the goof he was, with his dark hair, trying to cope, so innocently, to a world that would rather chew him up and spit him out. Then his white hair, tussling in the wind and he walked away.

"I won't be returning to Anteiku"

She let out a breath, eyes widening as a warm wave washed over her, and she smiled. Not a fake smile, a genuine smile. Her lips didn't even tremble as she turned from behind the wall, and look straight at an unwitting Haise Sasaki, engaging with his subordinates. Letting out a forlorn sigh, she began towards Yomo, intent on helping him with the orders.

Touka knew what she had to do.

Yomo had nothing less of utter shock adorning his pale face as she decided to take the four cups to the nattering group, but he didn't question it. His eyes were trained on her as she headed towards the occupied table, scrutinizing her closely. Touka payed him no mind, and kindly placed the cups in front of each customer.

"Hey! It's Shirazu's girlfriend!"

Sasaki Haise nearly spit his coffee everywhere

"H-Hey! Don't go spreading around rumors, Saiko!"

"Sasaki? Breathe!"

The viridian investigator placed his hands on the half-ghouls shoulders, as he seemingly started choking for no reason. The other two averted their attention to the coughing man, and for a moment, all eyes were on the disturbance. Haise's eyes watered as his coughing slowly subsided as he let the air return to his lungs. He wiped the fat tears blurring his vision and immediately looked up at smiling barista in front of his table.

Dammit, he must have looked like a real moron.

The fact that her lips remained curved upward made him a tad uneasy, but he decided not to overthink it. Instead, he drowned himself in his coffee, blocking out the rest of the world, letting his wandering mind in a distant feeling of nostalgia.

Touka's gut was never wrong. She had a nose for trouble, and particularly the trouble made by others. Just an hour after :Re's doors had closed, she had an uneasy feeling. Out of habit, walked the path down to the 20th ward, mind ablaze. Every time she saw Haise Sasaki, her mind reeled, just thinking about the man he used to be.

The man the world had failed.

For two years she had waited. Two whole, agonizing years, and now she knew of Ken Kaneki's final resting place, within the pure Sasaki. At first she didn't know what to do, or how she would 'save' him. It tore her apart to realize she couldn't save him, as someone beat her to it.

Ken Kaneki was given a second chance at life. A chance to have a somewhat normal, and maybe even peaceful existence. One without torture, without looking over his shoulder, without little girls that punch him and tell him awful things.

She would be dammed if she took that from him, and she would be double dammed if anyone else had the audacity to try. She was going to protect Haise.

For Kaneki.

Looking off in to the sunset, she realized she was on that bridge again. Sucking in a big breath of air, a feeling of acceptance sunk into Touka like a hit stone, searing her very being. Once more time

"No… not lost..." she whispered to herself

"I gave it away..."

It sounded easier that way, even if she didn't believe it herself. A cool, quiet breeze tussled her hair, cautious, as if it were scared to blow her away.

For the first time, Touka Kirishima didn't cry.

In spite of herself, she laughed.

The moment of peace didn't last. A shriek was heard, just nearby, and her nose flared. Her intuition once more proved correct, and her nostrils flared.

She smelt trouble all right, a particular brand she was not particularly fond of.

"Now, now! Where are you going, Kaetzchen?" the servant slunk through he alleyway, a playful gleam in his eye. Upon hearing a shuffle behind him, he spun around, Rinkaku flailing.

"Meow!"

The tentacle smashed a crate to pieces, and the dark-skinned investigator crouched even lower. His attempts to run had alerted his pursuer as to his location. Fearful he curled up into a ball, hoping he could stay hidden long enough to heal his wounds. Little did he know that a shadow was looming above him ready to strike, and his face squished in his hands had provided no help to the situation. A smile marred the devoted servants face, and he closed in on his prey.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty…"

Mutsuki flinched when she heard a sickening thump, but realizing that the pain he was expecting was absent, snapped his head up. He was just in time to see the dark boots of a shadow-clad figure smash into Kanae's skull.

"Woof"

The young quinx was about to throw himself over the remaining boxes to see if he could help, but jerked back as soon as he saw the ruby glow from under his saviors hood.

The purple-haired ghoul struggled to raise himself. the blow left him disoriented, but it was a vain effort. The heel was brought down on his back. After the sharp crack of his now twisted arm, and a cry of pain, the ghostly ghoul had thrown the offender down the alleyway. He crashed into a horde of crates, which tumbled around him. It made a large commotion in the dark alleyway.

Everything was still, and slowly, Mutsuki peeked out from behind his refuge.

"U-umm…" his throat was paralyzed. What was he doing talking to a ghoul? Was it going to kill him? Did it know that he was there?

A pair of red eyes darted to his spot.

Well, now it did.

"Y-y-you saved my l-life….." He decided that he would try convincing the ghoul that it had saved him, and maybe into sparing him. He was in no condition to fight, and one sharp blow to the head had rendered his pursuer invalid, with no Kagune in sight. The ghoul took a step towards him, and he panicked.

"Th-th-th-than-n-nk-k y-you…..!"

The ghoul hummed a low note and sighed.

"Get outta here"

Well shit, you didn't have to ask him twice. Running as fast as his wounded body would let him him, Mutsuki made a beeline to the nearest road, trying not to piss himself in the process.

Touka only chuckled as she watched the terrified investigator scramble away. He was pathetic sure, but he was still pretty innocent compared to most. She envied that. Her smile was wiped away immediately as she heard a groan and some rustling behind her. She cleared the distanced between her and the pale man slave in no time at all, seizing this amethyst-stained-red-locks and yanking him to eye level. He snarled like a rabid dog and she only twisted her hand, further tugging his hair. her knuckles were white.

"So I hear you have a pussy problem?"

The trapped ghoul spat in her face.

"Schlamp..!"

The rabbit ghoul's eye twitched as she wiped the bloody saliva from her face with her free hand, letting out a long, exhausted sigh. Then she began to feed him the concrete.

Six times she had smashed his miserable yet sturdy skull into the pavement, and a bloody hole was beginning to form itself on the point of impact. She crouched and pulled back his head so she could yell into his ear.

"Alright, Schiesskopf! It just so happens that I have a favor I need from you!" When he gurgled defiantly, she forced his nose into the cracked ground. "Let me rephrase that. Unless you want your brain matter in this hole, you're going to take me to Tsukiyama."

Knowing she had won, she dropped his head and watched him struggle to stand. The bludgeoned ghoul started to hobble forth, and Touka followed closely.

She could hardly contain her urge to laugh uncontrollably.