So Tokyo Ghoul started airing on Toonami at night, and I'm psyched to say the least! I haven't actually watched the first season for a good year plus, and this is my first time listening to the dub, too. I'm still in the midst of deciding whether I like this dub or not. I'm one of those people who doesn't have a strong preference for sub or dub. Funny story, actually. I actually switched from watching dub to sub in the middle of the series Baccano, and didn't notice! I only caught on when I noticed that Jacuzzi sounded completely different. I've been laughing at the memory ever since.

Anyway, onto the story!

When the sun rises, I hobble about to explore the house. I slept last night better than I've slept in ages, it feels. Hanako and I have slept in the same room since she came to stay with Mom and me, so when she left, it felt foreign to sleep alone. And then I went and left my house, as if sleeping alone wasn't enough to shake my sleeping patterns. These few hours between the time when I fell asleep and the time the sun woke me was the first time I've slept soundly, and without nightmares since all of this began. And it was the icing on the cake when I woke up to see Hanako hunched in the corner drooling in her sleep. Okay, well maybe she wasn't drooling. I would have drawn the drool, though, if I'd had a marker. That seems like it would've been fair in trade for all that she's put me through.

The boards creak under my feet with every step, but oddly enough I think the floor giving under me softens the burden on my injured feet. The windows are uncovered, but smudged with so much grime that I can't make out any shapes on the other side. The light that does come in is tinted yellowish air that smells like mildew. I slide open one of the doors to air it out, but the aroma just seems to sit, unfazed by the fresh air floating outside. On the other side of the door, a miniature jungle grows. The grass would easily reach up to my knees if I went among it, and vines dangle from the roof and wind around the supports. Somewhere hidden by the plant life, I can hear the faint sound of trickling water.

Breathing in deeply, I let the scent of the foliage wash over me. The boy from last night had said this house was used for injured ghouls. I can see why. Despite this being in the density of the city, it's as if it was secluded far in the country. It's the perfect environment to recover in. If only someone would clean up the inside of the house, and maybe do a little lawn work.

I glance back into the building. Are there no patients here right now? I've yet to see anyone, or hear anyone, so I guess not. They must not have done anything too dangerous in Aogiri recently. Honestly, I'm pretty glad we've got the house to ourselves at least for the moment.

Hanako rounds the corner of the hall, yawning. "Don't go wandering off."

"Sorry. It's just that I've never been in this style of house before."

She grumbles, "Didn't Ayato tell you what this place is used for? What would've happened if you'd run into a healing ghoul?"

"Was Ayato the guy who brought me here?"

"My boss." She stretches her arms above her head, like a cat stretching after a nap. "Although he's barely older than we are. Did he tell you or didn't he?"

"He did," I confirm.

She leans against the wall across from me, smirking. "Did you recognize him?"

I study her for a minute before asking, "Should I have?"

"He's Touka's little brother."

I blink. "What? Really?" Touka never said anything about having siblings, but that would explain that vague feeling of recognition I got when I first saw him.

"Yeah. The two of them are pretty opposite, don't you think?"

I think about it. "Mm, actually, I think they're pretty similar."

"How do you figure?"

"They both like to keep themselves detached from people around them, but they still care even if they pretend not to." If Ayato really hadn't cared about my well being, he wouldn't have warned me about the possible danger in this house.

Hanako considers this, then sorta half nods in assent. "I guess I can see that. Either way, the two of them don't exactly get along. Ayato hasn't let me mention his sister since I first asked about their relation."

"And Touka never told us about him," I finish. "They sure go about their lives differently." Cafe versus gang. Yup, I'd say those are on pretty opposite ends of the spectrum. Still, they've got their lives planned out and settled. Me, what have I got? I can't very well pursue college as I am, and even if I could, what would I do after that? Honestly, I've got nothing figured out. "So...where do we go from here?"

It takes her a moment to understand the change of subject, but when she does, she sighs. "I'm not sure. For now you're free to stay here, but once a patient comes…."

We lapse into silence, the weight of the future's uncertainty suddenly heavy in the air.

"Well," I begin, distracting the both of us from our thoughts, "for now, maybe we should drop by :RE to see Touka. She's probably begun to think you're dead at this point, and I myself haven't seen her for some time."

"Can't you just text her?" Hanako inquires, apparently uncomfortable with the idea.

I hold out my empty hands. "Doves took my phone. I didn't have the chance to get it back."

She clicks her tongue. "Fine, but let me bring you a change of clothes before you leave here. It'll be trouble if you're recognized by any of those vultures."

"Of course. Speaking of phones, by the way, what happened to yours?"

"Smashed it."

"How blunt of you," I frown. "I guess my phone is how they found me, though. Just my luck that Urie was paying attention when he was."

"Urie? You mean the quinx?"

"Quinx?"

"It refers the the kagune implant he has. You remember the night I brought you out?"

Do I remember being forced against a wall with a pulsating kagune pressed against my throat? Do I remember having to slice my own arm open to convince him not to kill me? "How could I forget? Yeah, I mean him. Apparently he's been hunting me all this time. I'm assuming you know he took Mom into custody."

"I do…." Her expression distorts. "Filthy doves. All of 'em! If they do anything to Noriko I'll rip out their guts!"

"She's fine," I pacify her. "She's still allowed to go to work, and she looked perfectly fine last I saw."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Haise made sure of it."

She gives me a look as if to ask if I'm crazy. "Haise Sasaki? Kaneki Ken? Are you kidding me right now?"

"What? Everyone and their brother gets antsy whenever I bring him into the conversation. I know he's a half ghoul with lost memory, but is it really that big of a deal?"

"YES!" I startle. "Yes it is! That guy's a freak of nature, worse than the quinxes! A surgically made fake ghoul from the implantation of the innards of a binge eater ghoul! Nobody knows how strong he is, and he doesn't have the restrictions the quinxes do! Before he lost his memory, though, he apparently was influential in Aogiri. There's not only that, but his connection to No Face, and his time at Anteiku… He's a dangerous existence, Kiyoko."

I'm not sure what to say to that. Nor do I know what Anteiku is. Besides that, Haise hardly seems to be a 'dangerous' person. I've felt that way ever since we started talking to each other. I will admit, however, that the first time I laid eyes on him in Uta's shop I felt it was a good idea to stay out of his way.

"He's actually helped me a lot," I confess. "He's had the ability to contact me long before Urie found me, but he didn't use it for anything bad. He told me he'd update me if any information about you came to the investigators, since he felt guilty for separating us. He's also the one who warned me about Mom being found. It's because of him I was able to hide as long as I did."

She scowls. "So what? We owe him?"

"No. All that he's done, he's done to make up for scaring you off in the first place. I'm just saying that I don't think he's that bad of a guy."

"Kiyoko, please tell me the boy you started to like isn't him!"

"It's not! And I never said I started to like anyone!"

"Liar," she hisses.

I take limping step over to her and hit her head as hard as I can. She doesn't even flinch, but she closes her lips to hide the teeth she'd bared. "I am not lying to you, Hanako. Don't accuse me of doing so."

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbles, pushing my hand away. "I'll believe you. When you say it isn't him, anyway. Who is it, though?"

"I'm telling you, I'm not-"

"You do like someone. After knowing you for ten years, I can tell, but I've got a bad feeling about who it is. Really, I've got a bad feeling about a lot of things you're hiding from me. You used to confide everything in me. It makes me wonder what's so horrible that you're sealing your lips against me."

I huff, propping myself on the wall beside her. "It's your fault for running off."

"Are you ever gonna let me live that down?"

"Nope."

"Then are you ever going to tell me who it is?"

"There's no one."

She pinches my arm and I wrench back. Still, she lets it lie. "And will you tell me what the job you went on was?"

"I told you, errands."

"And I asked, what type of errands?"

"Probably something along the lines of the errands you were sent on as an underling in Aogiri Tree."

She frowns. "I doubt that."

"Then what about you?" I change the subject again. "What sort of 'errands' were you sent on?"

Sighing, she answers, "Lot's of things. Information passing, deliveries, raids, literally going to convenience stores to get a superior magazines…. Us lows on the totem get all the odd jobs."

"So you aren't very high up?"

"Not at all," she shrugs. "I just joined."

"So you don't get ranked based on abilities?"

"Well, yeah," she relents, meeting my eyes, "we are, but I'm not nearly as powerful as most of the higher ups. Some of them are pretty ridiculously strong. What gave you the impression I was powerful?"

"The ghoul investigators," I explain. "Haise told me you're a rank A."

She whistles, and I swear the corners of her lips tug upwards. "Not bad."

"Must not be so great, either," I comment, "considering a mere human got the same ranking."

"A mere-" Her eyes widen. "What? Seriously? You're kidding!"

I purse my lips in a futile attempt to stop my smile. "Nope."

"What'd you do to earn that?"

"That's the thing," I grin. "As far as they know, I've done absolutely nothing."

At this point, neither one of us is able to hide the curve of our lips. How could I help but to have my spirits lifted, seeing how pleased she is.

"Well," Hanako smirks. "It makes me wonder what you'd be graded if you had some achievements to your name."

"It is curious," I agree.

"Then...you wanna see how far up you can get?"

"It'd put me in danger."

"You're already in danger." With those words, I come to the conclusion that she's accepted the fact that I've forced my way into her world.

And, it seems, it's got her blood pumping.

This chapter was a bit of an intermission, but those are nice every once in a while, right? If we were always on the edge of our seats we'd pass out from being overwhelmed! But if the breaks get too long, they drag and get boring. It's a precarious balance for an author like myself. It's something I experiment with often to get right. Are any of you even reading this? Sorry for doubting and all, but it's a legitimate question when I receive no proof of these author's notes being read. Well, anyhow, I should spend my time writing instead of worrying.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!