Well here is this part. I was suffering from both writers block and last weekend being busy with my sisters birthday so its a bit late and very rushed. The ending I openly admit was tacked on since I couldn't figure a better place to place it and I was running out of steam at that part. Still at least I got it out.

I do have an idea for the first major arc with Mado. though after that is still in the dark. and I will admit that this will still be on a slow release schedule. Well reviews are very welcome on this one since as I said its still in planning stages so i hope that its good.

"So this is our new home?" Ken simply stated. It had been six months since Ken had been brought to the ward and now, after finishing all the tests and the integration period he was now allowed into the ward proper. Shinohara had helped him gather all his stuff and brought him to where he would be living with his father from now on; after he got out of prison. According to Shinohara, this was the rinkaku block. There were four blocks for families of the same kagune type with two mixed blocks behind them near the back of the ward. For privacy these blocks were kept far away from the tourist areas. Only CCG officials and special guests were allowed to come. Though he did hint that allowances could be made for a human friend or two to come visit under supervision. Ken noticed that the apartment was furnished. Not high quality but usable. Overall it was surprisingly nice. Not at all like the stories his father had told him about the CCG.

Shinohara had also pass Ken a cell phone. He put his number in and told Ken to call him if he had any problems and that he would keep working to free Ken's father. Shinohara told him that things did look promising and that it could be as soon as a year. Ken hoped that he would be released soon. It was lonely without his mom and dad. Ken spent a bit of time watching the tv before deciding to head out. After greeting the neighbors, handing them each a nice bag of coffee beans, Ken began to explore.

The ward looked a lot like his home ward. Minus the food stores and resturants of course. These had been replaced by lots of coffee shops, novelty mask shops, and other such ghoul establishments. He did pass by a couple bars though. It was possible to ferment several liquids from the human body and some ghouls just liked the atmosphere. He also saw vending machines that instead of juice and cola, had water, coffee, and both fermented and unfermented blood.

He also passed by the hospital. He remembered Mrs. Fueguchi telling him that her husband worked there. It was small compared to a human hospital. But that was to be expected. Unlike humans, ghouls only rarely needed to go to the doctor. He did wave at one of the nurses at the entrance as he walked by. She smiled at him and waved back.

The people he met were interesting as well. They were both threating and friendly. Basically it seemed like they were trying to be nice, but maybe due to the nature of ghouls or just past experiences, they always seemed to watching out for any aggressive behavior. Showing as little weakness as possible. He did make sure to introduce himself to as many as possible; if only to assuage their fears.

Eventually he reached the tourist regions with a can of coffee in hand. It was a bright and cheerful here and a bit much for the shy kid. Still he wanted to see what it was like so he walked around. It was an interesting experience to say the least. Apparently being a cute ghoul child got him a lot of attention. With people asking if they could take photos and even just wanting to pet him. He soon found himself exhausted and at one of the main attractions of this place; the coffee district.

This was a street that was filled with coffee shops with the highest quality coffee in all of Tokyo. And as such was very popular among ghouls and humans alike. Some people even visited the ward simply to come here. Which of course meant it was quite crowded. But Ken decided to be brave and weaved through the crowds to his target. During his time at the CCG integration facility he had gotten Shinohara to tell him where that one woman who had been with the team that had captured his family worked. She had promised him a cup of coffee after all.

He soon arrived at the particular shop. Its elegant look showed tastes. Even the signboard advertising it by the name of Anteiku was neat and looked good. Ken pushed the door open and walked in to the bustling shop. He heard a voice welcome him in as a waitress approached him. They recognized each other when they met eyes. "Ah, it's you. Finally, been let out into the ward proper now huh?" she asked in a friendly voice. Ken nodded. "Yes, Miss Irimi. I was let out today actually. And I was wondering if that offer for a cup of your finest was still valid." The older woman smiled at Ken and beckoned him over to the counter. "Of course it is. Come on and have a seat and I'll make it right away."

Ken came over and sat down in front of Irimi as she began to make a fresh cup for the boy. When she was done, she placed it in front of him. "Here you go, one fresh cup of Anteiku coffee. Black I assume. Though if you are feeling a bit hungry," she waved her hand to a bowl filled with brown colored sugar cubes. "You can put a few of these in it. Special sugar cubes for ghouls. They can even curb your hunger for a bit. They are actually pretty good. We make our own in house so you can be certain of the quality." Curios, Ken put a few of them in the cup and tried it. They did in fact add a bit of flavor to the coffee. Ken smiled at Irimi and thanked her.

"Oh, a new customer?" asked another voice. Ken turned around to see a rather plump man in a waiter uniform who also wore the same collar that half of the people in this place also wore. He smiled kindly at the boy, who darted his eyes away; slightly afraid of the new stranger. Irimi smacked the man playfully. "Don't scare Ken, Enji. He's new here and a bit shy." The man laughed again. "I wasn't trying to scare him. Sorry about that, Ken was it? The name is Enji Koma. Pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand and Ken nervously shook it. "Ken Kaneki. Sir." This caused the older man to laugh again. "You certainly know how to show respect. Calling me sir. So how do you like the place?"

Ken didn't know if he was talking about the coffee shop or the ward itself but he answered, "It's nice. The atmosphere is welcoming and comfortable." His smile though faltered a bit though. "I just wish my parents could be here as well." Koma placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to comfort the boy. "Don't worry too much about it. I'm sure you'll see them soon."

"Oh. Looks like the manager is back," Irimi stated as she looked over to the door. Ken turned as well to see an older man enter. He looked grandfatherly for a lack of a better word to him. But he also noticed that he gave off an aura of strength. Of a leader. Ken felt a bit nervous as the manager came over. "How was the meeting?" Koma asked. The manager took of his coat and hat as he replied, "Nothing much. We were able to get through most of what we had on the agenda today." He looked over at Ken. "You're Ken Kanaki right? Shinohara's new case right?" Ken jumped a bit. Surprised that the man knew him. But the manager just laughed a bit at him and assured him, "Sorry. I did not mean to scare you. I was just privy to your case since I am a member of the council."

"Council?" Ken asked as he tilted his head in confusion. Irimi told him, "It's sort of our governing body. The CCG has the final say in all things in this ward but they do talk with the council about things first. The council is a group of ghouls who represent all of us who live here and make certain that the CCG keeps our best interest in their decisions. Think of it like Parliament." Ken looked up at the manager with a newfound awe which made him laugh again. "It's not that big a deal. Mostly just extra paperwork and sitting around and talking. Nothing to get too bent out of shape about young boy. By the way the name is Yoshimura." Ken shook his hand and replied, "It's nice to meet you. And your coffee here is some of the best I've ever had."

Yoshimura smiled at him. "Why thank you, Ken. It's nice to hear such things. Hmm, about coffee, do you know how to make your own yet." Ken wilted a bit. "Only the instant kind. Nothing like the quality of the cups you serve here." He looked down at his still half full cup and inhaled the rich inviting sent again. "It even leagues above what my dad could do." Yoshimura then looked at Ken speculatively before asking him, "Would you like to learn how? We can't give you a real job yet. Labor laws still apply in this ward. However, you can still come here to train under me and who knows, in a few years there could be an opening for you." Ken was so excited that he found himself unable to say anything. Just nod. And so Ken joined the ranks of Anteiku's finest.

It was later when Ken was at Anteiku for training. That he first met Juuzou. Shinohara was running a field trip for the CCG academy to the ward. The idea here was to teach the trainees about tamed ghouls and how to use them properly. It was also during these field trips that many of these kids would meet ghouls who would eventually become their preferred partners. Since they were going to trust each other with their lives, they needed to build a state of trust between the two.

Shinohara had them stop by Anteiku for a break. It was when they had to leave a that a small problem arose. For some reason or other Juuzou either ignored or didn't hear Shinohara, so he didn't get up but remained seated at his table. So Ken, deciding to be of helped tried to get his attention. Unfortunately, he decided to do this by coming behind him and taping him on the shoulder.

What he didn't know was that this was not really that long after Juuzou had been rescued from the clutches of violent ghouls. As such he was still not completely adjusted from his days as a scrapper. So when Ken touched him, he reacted on instinct and stabbed at the boy's neck with the knife he had from his meal.

Ken felt a something hit him. In confusion he reached for the spot and felt the small bruise that would clear up in a couple minutes on his neck. His reaction was simply to tell the boy, "That was rude." The ghouls of course had barely any reaction. Perhaps a giggle or two or a roll of their eyes. The humans, on the other hand, freaked out. Either frightened or excited about what just happened and started passing around the damaged knife and taking pictures here and there. Ken found it all a bit annoying. It wasn't that big a deal after all.

Shinohara soon rushed over and apologized to Ken. But Ken waved him off. Not wanting to cause a fuss over something so minor. And so the field trip group soon left and Ken was given another cup of coffee by Yoshimura. Never expecting to see the young boy again.

Once again, sorry for putting out something rushed. Been hard to find the time and drive to write these past three weeks. Still I do plan to keep working. Next chapter i put out will be for trials though. Possibly an omake as i finalize what i want to do in the next part of that arc.

as always please enjoy, review, fav, and follow.