Author's Notes: Before anything else, I would like to thank my second reviewer, alicegil007 and as promised compared to the other chapters, it has 2,118 words so thank you for the review. As promised to spinoff, it would be before Monday. I would like to thank kittyhawk09 for the corrections. I really appreciate it. I look over chapter 2 again and found the errors so thank you very much. And don't worry sikaloolala, Sasaki would be starting making new memories with Touka- chan soon. Without further ado, let's start the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides my books, pens, clothes, and I think the lists might go on so let's stop.

Chapter 3: Handkerchief

He goes over to his conversation with Donato at the Ghoul Detention Center while waiting for the waitress to come and get his order and looks over to the bookshelves. "If … there's a reason why my feelings are swaying, then it must be that … Serpent and I might have been acquaintances." He remembers Serpent saying a name and it triggered him to say, "Nishio-senpai". He has a hunch that he knows this person and he maybe more than an acquaintance, maybe a close friend.

He holds on to the white cloth in his pocket, which was the handkerchief the waitress lend to him. He was thinking of a perfect timing to give it to her because timing is everything or maybe start a conversation with her.

"Please help yourself," he looks over to see who it was. "Speaking of which" he thought to himself. It was funny that he was just thinking of her and she suddenly shows up. Then she gestures over to the bookshelves, "The books …"

The café contains an interesting variety of books which contains mostly literature. He removes his coat since the CCG uniform is quite thick and can be quite suffocating since they usually wear thick clothing. . Then he sees her approaching his table holding a cup of black coffee in her hand. As she begins to place the cup on the table, she spoke, "They called you teacher earlier, are you a teacher at a school?"

"Ah, no … I … am a ghoul investigator. I'm their mentor." He felt glad that she was the one who started the conversation otherwise, if it was him, he wouldn't know what to say. He lifted the cup of delicious coffee and brought it to his lips, savouring the taste. "It's delicious. How can you make it so delicious?" he asks.

He sees her eyes lit up as she speaks, "I have been working at a café ever since I was around 14 or 15. Sure there's experience and the quality of ingredients but there's more to it. The old manager where I used to work for likes to tell us about making the perfect cup of coffee whenever the subject is brought is. He shared to me once that the way they are roasted and brewed, and even the water used can change the flavour. The most important thing even more than where the beans come from is how you approach each one of them. The approach must vary depending on the bean. Just because some beans are expensive, if you brew them without care, they will not turn out well. The opposite is also true. Even cheap beans can become flavourful, if you carefully brew them to bring out their special qualities. That's what I learned from him. Not only the quality of materials matter, but also the kind of process it undergoes".

He was amazed with the knowledge with the knowledge she gained from her former manager. It gave importance that the quality of ingredients wouldn't matter if it wasn't roasted and brewed properly. "So where is that café now? I would like to try the coffee there." Then he looked up to meet two amethyst eyes filled with sorrow, masked expertly by a customer service smile but he noticed the sorrow in it nonetheless. "It closed down already," she said, her voice seems to be tearing up. He didn't ask any further, even though he was curious since he feels the subject feels a bit personal and sensitive.

He grasped the handkerchief in his pocket, "Umm … I would –". He was cut off when a new customer came in to the café, catching the waitress' focus because of the sound made by the bell hanged above the entrance. She quickly approached and greeted the customer and led her to her seat. Then she started scribbling the order onto her clipboard and then went to him, "Yes?" The courage to give her handkerchief back disappeared. "I would like a Cappuccino to go please," he smiled as his hand unexpectedly touches his chin. "Is there anything else?" she asks while furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "Nothing," he assures her.

She comes back holding a paper bag containing a disposable cup filled with the delicious Cappuccino she made. "Thank you Miss …"

"Kirishima Touka".

"Nice to meet you Kirishima-san." Then she opened her mouth but before she can speak he cuts her off, "It's Sasaki Haise".

She smiles at him and bows a little before replying, "It's nice to meet you too Sasaki-san".

Then the last thing she heard before leaving the café was, "Thank you very much! Please come again".

He will surely come again.

And next time he will sure give her handkerchief back.

It was lunch time and he decided to visit the café ":re" again. The fragrant smell of roasted coffee beans greeted him first upon opening the door and then was greeted by the waitre- "Kirishima-san" he corrected himself. "Good afternoon Sasaki-san," she greeted cheerfully. While leading him to a table near the bookshelves by the window, she asked him, "How was work Sasaki-san?" It was amazing how she can start a conversation with him without getting nervous.

"Things went smooth so far but I still have to review some papers regarding the investigation my squad is working on currently. How about you Kirishima-san, are you still going to college?"

She nodded and replied, "I'm studying at Kamii University, Biology, Faculty of Science."

Isn't that a prestigious school?" he asks while she takes out her clipboard and pen.

"That's what they say, so what's your order Sasaki-san?"

"I would like a latte please." She nodded while she writes on her clipboard and proceeded to the counter.

"A latte …" she trails off. "He seems to like my latte and as well as my latte art back then," she mumbles quietly to herself with a smile on her while preparing to steam the milk. She begins to reminisce over the events after escaping Aoigiri. She remembers that his eyes didn't have the same warmth it once had but his gaze was now distant and cold.

"Hey… you," she caught his attention as he turns his head to look at her. "When we get back, why don't we change your hair color? If you work in the shop like that, you'll stand out a lot." She can't shake off that there's something wrong with the face that he's making. Then it subsides into a warm smile like the ones he usually makes but this time it looks … sad.

"I won't be returning to Anteiku". His statement shock everone and especially her.4

"There are things I want to do. For that reason, I need to prepare. I have to get stronger. There are still a lot of things I need to find out. I have no time". His gaze was cold and distant once again and she was clenching her shaking fists while she was trying to muster up a sentence. "What … is it?"

"Ka … Kaneki …" she hears Banjou's voice cutting them off their reverie. Then she watches Banjou and his merry band of friends, Ichimi, Jiro, and Santejoins him. Even that bastard Tsukiyma was accepted.

She was hesitant but he promised that he won't leave her.

"Ka … Kaneki, I also… I also want to go with you –"

"Touka-chan aren't you going to college?"

"Huh?" She was wrong.

"Don't you have to take exams next year? You have to start studying soon. There might be an empty spot when I leave the shop. I'm sorry about that and to Nishio-san as well". His gaze was on the ground, unable to look at her in the eye.

"I'll drink coffee once in a while. I want to see Touka-chan's latte art. You rabbit pictures, I like them." He slowly raised his head and smiled at her, "See you Touka-chan".

She was shocked that he rejected her to join them. He promised … he promised he wouldn't leave her but now he has broken the promise like it was nothing. "Was that promise just to comfort her back then?!" she thought to herself. As she opened her eyes, she realized she was running, running away from reality. She doesn't know why she doesn't want him to go, If he wants to go, then let him. He isn't her responsibility anyway but losing another important person to her life was too much and she just doesn't want to accept it.

She hears a set of footsteps. "Probably that damned shitty sex obsessed four eyes," she muttered to herself and sped up her pace. She doesn't want anyone to see her in such a vulnerable state so she seeks the only place where she could be alone. Her apartment.

During the times whenever she can't sleep, her parent's rings would give her comfort and these are one of those nights. "Mom … Dad …. Don't leave me alone," she muttered to herself as she held onto the rings. "What was the point? Go to hell damned Kaneki".

Snapping out of her reverie, she starts to make the latte art.

He breathed in a sigh of relief when he finished halfway filling in his report. Things were getting busy and paper work was increasing. He still needs to do some major editing on Saiko's reports. Then he heard a clink sound and lifted his head to see Kirishima-san giving him a smile.

"Her smile seems to be a bit sad again," he thought to himself.

"Here's your latte Sasaki-san. Please enjoy," she bows and went to assist the other customers.

He looks at his cup and sees a cute rabbit latte art. "It's cute," he thinks to himself. He takes out his phone and takes a quick picture of it unable to not have a picture of it. Then he takes a sip and puts down the cup on the table. The coffee tastes divine to his taste buds and if he continues to drink, he would end up choking out a sob.

He heard footsteps and sees Kirishima-san approaching his table. "How was it Sasaki-san?" she asks with the same troubled smile plastered on her face.

"It was very delicious and your latte art was very cute," he compliments.

She flashed him a beautiful smile and thanked him. "Would you like anything else? She inquires softly.

"I would like to have some of your wonderful latte to go please," then he sips on his coffee. She begins to walk to the counter and suddenly holds her wrists to stop her. "Here goes …" he thinks to himself. "Kirishima-san I would like to return this to you," he holds out the handkerchief. He noticed her eyes widened for a second and then softened to a smile, a soft beautiful but troubled smile. She takes the handkerchief and to his confusion, wiped his eyes.

"You were crying again," she teased softly but her eyes were somehow filled with sorrow. "That smile again," he thought to himself. He doesn't know what to do next and neither does she but then a customer came in breaking them out of their own trance. She quickly approached the group of students and greeted them, and then she led them to their seats.

She came back holding a paper bag containing her wonderful latte. "Here you go Sasaki-san," she handed the paper bag to him. He sees how her head was looking down to the floor and was probably embarrassed by the little incident. Before he exits, she hears her voice, "Thank you very much! Please come again."

"Damn you Haise. Now everything's akward," he mentally curses himself on the way home.

I wonder what's behind that beautiful smile".

Author's Notes: So here's your chapter 3. There's a lot I would like to write in the author's notes but let's just say I won't be updating during the next month so please sit tight and be patient.