The week that ensued was chaotic, the worst of which was her next active day of class. It was all that Nori had warned Akeno about and more. Akeno's Subculture class consisted of an enormous class with nearly one hundred students, of which there had only been two who had not raised their hand when asked about student interest in joining the ranks of the CCG- Akeno being one of those students. The more academic each of her classes became, the more knowledge she seemed to know. It was in her Underground and Subculture classes that she lagged. While she had the talent and knowledge to become a lead med-student, she hadn't stopped to realize that Ghouls also had their own culture. They, too, had different ways of conducting themselves, as well as "habits" that allowed CCG agents to pick ghouls out of large crowds of humans. Akeno challenged the thought process behind some of said give-aways, but she didn't say that in front of her classmates lest she beg for social crucifixion.

She found her nose in her textbooks for hours each night. Being that her classes were geared toward students who would be the future of the "ghoul police task force" professors cut the teenagers no slack. Many of the students came to class dressed in their best business attire while Akeno struggled to find a bra each morning. Tardies weren't tolerated in the slightest, and resulted in extra pop quizzes for the whole class, so students found their way to class fairly quickly. The teachers for the many classes geared toward the major conversed and delegated with each other, so the most of the class expectations and consequential punishments were the same. Akeno sighed to herself after her fourth straight hour staring at the words of her G-Anatomy textbook under the bright lamplight fixed atop of the desk she and Kimi shared. Her roommate had been making a conscience effort to make sure she and Nishiki kept quiet during the nighttime while they tumbled about in the living room. They kept from disturbing Akeno and the latter didn't say anything to them about their nightly activities. A knock on the door pulled Akeno from her zombie-like studying.

"Come in," She answered. It had been so long since she'd spoken that her voice sounded small and weak. Nishiki walked into the room and crossed his arms in the doorway.

"You know, I don't think it's healthy to be in a dark room for hours on end. You're already the same color as the moon. If anything you need sun." He spoke. Akeno cut her eyes at him before sneaking a glance at her arms.

"I'm not that pale. Kimi's probably paler than I am." She replied. "Whatta you want? I know you didn't come in here just to antagonize me."

"When do you plan on coming back to the shop?" The question caught Akeno off guard. She turned to face Nishiki and shrugged.

"Uh… I don't really know. I haven't… thought about it much. Why?" It was true. The very concept of time had slipped out of her grasp from the moment she stepped foot into her new classroom. She thought back to Kankei telling her to come visit if she had time and cursed herself.

"Nothing, really. That dweeb has been askin' about you and I'm kind of tired of it. I just wanted to know if you were gonna come see em' or not." Akeno felt a blush rise to her cheeks. Kaneki had been asking about her.

"Um… what time do you guys close?" Nishiki rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"Somewhere in the neighborhood of ten o'clock… but I'm sure that if you came later they'd let you in." Akeno sighed and shut the textbook.

"I think I'll head over there in a few minutes. I need to get out of this room and I don't want to wait to long to head over." Nishiki nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"When you get there, tell Touka I'll be back late tonight." Akeno's brows knitted in confusion.

"I thought you said they close around ten?" She asked. Nishiki chuckled and shook his head.

"Yeah, they do."

"Do you…?" The male didn't reply and instead exited the room, leaving Akeno more confused than she ever imagined the conversation would leave her. She sighed and rubbed her head. Her life was becoming more and more confusing each day. She left her textbook on the desk and went to the bathroom, showering quickly and feeling something building up in her stomach the closer she was to leaving the dorm. By the time she set foot outside of her room she felt as though as leprechaun were tap dancing on the walls of her stomach. Akeno made her way to the outdoors, playing with the way her breath vividly danced in the air as when she breathed out. She shoved her hands in her pockets, wishing she would've brought a pair of gloves with her. The numbing cold made her long for the steaming coffee served at Anteiku. "How does it go from hellishly hot to freezing cold within a few hours?" She whispered to herself.

She'd always gotten a kick out of watching her surroundings at night. It was the first time she'd been out so late since her ghoulish encounter days prior. Her arm was healing nicely, though still a bit sore with the beginnings of a scar forming. Still, it was better than not having an arm at all. Akeno watched as the couples on the street hugged under the bright streetlights, screaming their love to each and every lonely soul around them. She listened to the many parents scolding their children, but only for their safety- an informative type of love that had not been of access to Akeno when she was the same age. Instead, her parents had left her with a new babysitter each week. Some were worse than others, but they were all the same, generally speaking. Not interested in taking care of a child, but longing for the money that came along with the duties of watching a spoiled brat in a three story home, close to Japan's beautiful shores. Her memories made her think of her brother and how he was doing. Akeno wished she'd have found a way to runaway with him because she knew he was going through the same thing she had, but now he was alone. She'd left him all alone just as her parent's had left her alone. Leaving a child with their own thoughts can be unpredictable.

Akeno shook the thoughts from her head as she approached the cafe that she'd come to love seeing. The soft glow of the amber lights shone through the glass windows and immediately made onlookers feel as though they were at home. Akeno braced herself, taking a deep breath and pulled open the door to the homey setting. She heard the familiar ring of the bell above the door and looked up to see Kaneki's gaze. She smiled shyly and waved, and he did the same, a bit delayed, and went back to taking the order of the table he was with. He held up a finger, as if to tell her, 'one minute' and so Akeno took a seat at the bar. Touka's back was facing Akeno, her unusual hair her most noticeable beacon. When she turned around she gasped.

"Oh, Akeno, I didn't know you were here." She laughed. Akeno waved her hands in surrender.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, Miss. Touka. I just walked in, but Kaneki is with a table right now." Touka glanced towards Kaneki and nodded before smiling to Akeno.

"It seems he is. Do you want me to get you a cup of coffee started?" Akeno twiddled with her thumbs a bit, anxiously awaiting Kaneki's company.

"Uh, yes, if you don't mind. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Touka turned and began preparing the coffee and Akeno heard Kaneki's soothing voice wishing the couple at the table a goodnight. She turned to watch as Kenki rushed to her side.

"Hey, Touka, if you want you can retire for the night. I'll close up down here." Kaneki spoke. Touka turned to face him and opened her mouth to speak, but once glance at the hope in the boys eyes left her slack jawed.

"Fine, make sure you close up properly. And don't forget Akeno's coffee is on." Touka untied the apron on her waist and set down the white cloth she had in her hand before making her way to the door and flipping the small sign on the door to 'Closed.' Kaneki took his perch behind the bar and smiled at Akeno almost as shyly as she'd smiled at him. "I didn't think you were ever going to come back." He admitted sheepishly. "I was sure I'd scared you off."

"Not possible," Akeno chuckled. "I just changed my major and I've had a ton of work to do. My classes are a lot much difficult than I'd prepared for." Kaneki raised a brow.

"What was your previous major? And what'd you change it to? If you don't mind me asking." Akeno bit her lip feeling as though Kaneki would judge her choice. 'I don't want him to think I'm some kind of obsessed freak…'

"Uh, I was majoring in biology, but I, uh… a-a p-professor of mine t-talked me into going into g-ghoul studies." She whispered the last part as if she were confessing a sin. Kaneki didn't say anything for a long moment and the air between them grew awkward with the prolonged silence. "I don't want to work for the CCG… if that's what your thinking." The screeching of a tea kettle broke the silence and made the both of them nearly jump out of their skin. Kaneki rushed to grab the pot and Akeno shoved her hands between her thighs, feeling as though she were the most idiotic person on the planet. She felt a violent blush painting her face.

"If not for the CCG, then why?" Kaneki's question was abrupt and Akeno didn't know if she had the pride to look him in the eyes.

"I… my professor he… I feel stupid telling you this." She bit her lip once more, this time hard. Kaneki slid her a cup of coffee across the bar and she slowly took it in her hands. The comforting warmth made her feel a bit more courageous.

"Don't. I won't judge you. I was kind of scared you'd suddenly starting hating us after what happened earlier this week, but I'm just interested in what has you so interested." He explained. Akeno took another sip of the scalding coffee before setting it down and meeting Kaneki's eyes.

"From what I hear, there's a very short supply of people who know what they're doing when it comes to the anatomy of ghouls. And I know from experience that not all ghouls are bad and I… I just want to help." She sounded exasperated, as if she was tired and frustrated all at the same time. "I feel stupid because everyone thinks I'm an idiot and now I don't know if I'm even cut out for this, Kaneki. If I'm caught the CCG would rip me apart and what if the ghouls don't even want my help. Why would they trust a human girl?" Akeno felt tears stinging her eyes- she wasn't sure if her frustration was coming from a lack of sleep or if it was from genuine confusion, but it wasn't long before her tears were splashing soundlessly onto her balled up fists. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore…" She whispered. Kankei scrambled to find a clean cloth, knocking over a cup in the process. The loud shatter caused him to curse. Before Akeno's hand made it to her cheek, a soft fabric wiped the delicate skin free of tears. Kaneki was smiling gently across from Akeno as he pressed a tissue to her swollen eyes.

"Don't cry, Akeno. You're not stupid, in fact, I think you'll do a bang-up job. I'm sure you're going to meet challenges along the way, but if life were a breeze then there would be something you weren't doing right." Akeno only cried harder because Kaneki was one of the only people making her feel as if she weren't an idiot. "Hey, do you wanna come up to my room? It's a bit more private, so people can't see through the windows." Akeno nodded and her heart skipped a beat at the thought of being alone with Kaneki. The ghoul crossed the room and turned off the lights, guiding Akeno away from the bar and up the stairs to his room. They padded quietly across the hall as they made their way to the wooden door. Kaneki opened it and allowed Akeno in first, then followed, shutting the door behind himself. He turned on a dim light in the corner of the room, as to make sure Akeno didn't feel as though her tears were still incredibly obvious. This time she sat on the bed without being told and sniffled a bit. Kaneki threw off his apron before taking a seat next to her, gently rubbing her back.

"Because of all of this, my parents absolutely hate me. I've tried calling them five times and they refuse to pick up the phone. I can't get in touch with my little brother and my sisters… I can't even bear talking to them. They're so perfect. It's like I was born to be the screw up in our family and I just don't understand why, Kaneki." Her voice was breaking, tears threatening to spill over once more and Kankei diligently wiped away their beginnings. His gentle nature made Akeno feel as if she was short of breath. The way his thumb slightly grazed her cheek made her shiver and a lump formed in her throat. Her gratitude towards him was quickly turning into something more.

"If they don't want you in their life, then that's their loss," His voice was softer than an angel's. "Don't let their opinion of you dictate your worth." He hesitantly stroked her hair and Akeno's blush deepened. Her sadness was lifting, but her confusion was only growing stronger. Once Akeno found the strength to look the male in the eyes, she immediately regretted it. His eyes were gleaming with something more sentimental than Akeno had ever seen someone look at her with. It was something along the lines of hope- hope for what? Soon, there were two blushing people in the room. Kaneki was beginning to feel the effects of the emotion swirling in the air. The collar of his shirt seemed to be choking him and his breathing seemed to deepen. Akeno watched as Kaneki gulped and she looked down at her small hands, then to the blinking, red digital clock on Kaneki's nightstand.

"I-It's getting k-kind of late, d-don't you think?" Akeno asked. She made to stand. "I-I think I should be g-getting home-" Kaneki's hand wrapped around her wrist.

"Wait!" He shouted. The embarrassment on his face was immediate. "I-If you want you can just… s-stay here." His voice was much quieter. His face looked similar to a cherry tomato as he rubbed the back of his neck. Akeno's blush grew even more if it were possible. She looked to the floor.

"I-I don't honestly think that's a… good idea." She felt as though her voice were as loud as an infant's. "I-I'll take my leave." Kaneki let out a breath and nodded.

"Okay," He spoke. "Be safe." He turned and grabbed a piece of paper from a drawer and scribbled something on it before handing it to Akeno. "This is my number. If you're in any sort of danger just call me. I'll be right there." The girl smiled and took the paper tenderly from Kaneki's hands.

"Thank you, Kaneki." She stuffed the paper in her pocket and awkwardly smiled. "I guess I'll see you around sometime, then." Kaneki nodded.

"Uh, I- yeah. I'll be seeing you." Akeno took a last leap of faith and pressed her hands to either side of Kaneki's face before gently pressing her lips to his. They were plush and Akeno almost didn't want to let go, but Kankei definitely didn't. It was as if his body had a mind of its own when he pressed closer to Akeno. The kiss became deeper and much more erotic than the simplicity it had began with. Akeno moaned into the kiss when she felt Kaneki's tongue shyly press against mouth, softly requesting entrance. It wasn't the kind of kiss where your lover knew they would be granted their wish- it was truly unknowing and endearing. A true request and not an expectation- and it made Akeno want him even more. Her mouth slowly opened and their tongues became tangled in an obviously inexperienced mess of teeth and wetness they were both new to. Akeno had never experienced what it was like to want someone so badly that it hurt. She felt her whole body burning up, but knew that it wasn't the time or the place. As soon as she found the strength to will herself away she pressed her hands to Kaneki's chest and took in a series of deep breaths.

"I-We shouldn't. Not now." Kaneki looked absolutely distraught and Akeno couldn't deny that it was a good look on him. She wanted so badly for him to gently lay her on the bed and show her just how messed up the kind hands that wiped her tears could get her. She wanted to be in tears, but for a totally different reason- and it was all new to her. The throbbing her was feeling in her most intimate area was a sensation she'd long been told about, but had never felt and she knew she needed to leave. She gave Kaneki one last nod, straightened her coat and turned to leave. She exited the room soundlessly and made her way out of the cafe, vowing that one day would be the day.

A/N: Soooo, it's back!