"Your name should be changed to Kanna…"

"Hide!"

"Just sayin, you are painting your nails, Touka-chan has a wig for you…"

Ken was about to reprimand his best friend (His, Kaneki himself was uncertain what exactly he was, going to be for him, but Hide was his) when his thoughts were interrupted.

"You seem to be doing well." Touka commented, observing his efforts and nodded to herself, before smiling slyly. "Did you have a prior experience, Kaneki?"

"Maybe he read about it in a book?" the strawberry blond said with mock innocence.

"I didn't know Nagachika-san read THOSE kinds of books. "Her tone was deadpan.

Both boys turned to look at her, Kaneki with a surprise, and Hideyoshi with calculating eyes behind his smile.

"Who needs a book like that when you are here-you make the prettiest girl, Kaneki, with this luscious exotic hair…"

As Ken groaned, and she rolled her eyes, he hastily added. "Don't worry, Touka-chan is cute too, even if not as much as Kanna here."

"If he is Kanna, will you be Hikari, as the next one to disguise?" she asked in a serious tone.

"Hey! What about you, then?"

"What about me? I don't need to hide. I didn't burn my public identity."

Ken (And Touka still wasn't used to calling him by his first name)finished repainting his nails, and glanced at Hide, who seemed to be hinting at something with his own glances.

Kaneki apparently understood, as he shook his head.

'They know each other so well, they can understand each other without words. Hideyoshi accepted us being ghouls, and even the strange romance thing with all three of us that I pushed on him for Kaneki's sake. He walked to a hungry ghouls unarmed. He brought Kaneki back from hunger frenzy.

Will I ever have as deep a connection with Ken? W-hey, '

It was at that point, that Touka found herself with her back on the floor. Apparently she was so deep in thought, that she didn't notice Hide pouncing on her till it was too late.

She almost took his head of his shoulders by instinct, before stopping, as the smile on his face turned from mischievous to apologetic.

"Sorry, Touka-chan, I guess Kaneki was right, and it was a bad idea to try and pounce and tickle you, but you looked brooding on heavy thoughts, and you did encourage us to be more familiar with each other."

"No, Naga- Hideyoshi, just don't surprise me like that in the future." She smiled at him, before something occurred to her. "Did you ever try such a thing on Kaneki?"

The blonde smiled widely, and just saide "Sure, t-"

When a hand on his mouth muzzled him.

"No need to delve into unnecessary details. Don't you agree, Hide?"

Kaneki then gently nodded his friend's head to signal a yes, before releasing his hold.

"I take it there is a story there."

"Yes, and silly-neki here won't let me tell it!" Hide answered, actually pouting.

Touka found herself chuckling despite her futile efforts to hold back her mirth.

Ken Kaneki found himself sighing happily as he dried his recently dyed brown hair. 'It's great to have you back at my side, Hide. I was really missing your bright presence, as the darkness of the world of ghouls dragged me down. I don't think Touka-chan used to smile as much before. And you actually made her laugh. I think you could make her forget to be guarded sometimes. You could make her happier then I could-you always did shine.

'Will you really be happiest with both of us? Will Touka-chan? Will I end up a third wheel? I really like her, but you are my best friend. You have risked your life, and sacrificed your limbs for my sake.'

His mood dropped soon, as more melancholic thoughts followed.

'I wanted to protect you by destroying those who will dare attack you, Touka, Anteiku… I should've sought to protect you by being at your side.'

"Ken! Are you brooding in the bathroom? You know that it doesn't make you more attractive to girls, right? The manga lied to you, man." Hide called.

Ensuring that his hair was dry, the ghoul who made a reputation as particularly dangerous, left to greet his Hide.

"Bathroom free now, and you don't have to tease me out of it when you want to take a shower. Which you should've done before."

"I was busy, I'll tell you after dinner. "

Ken closed his eyes and basked in the peace he found in this place, with Touka and Hide. he wasn't even having a single nightmare.

When Hideyoshi finally had the time to do so away from the eyes of his to… partners, namely when Ken went to dye his hair, and Touka went to do her stuff (Hide didn't want to stick his nose into the ghoul network too much, despite his curiosity, for both her sake and his health), he proceeded to open and read the letters he picked from his apartment.

'Bills, bills, electricity bills, what's that? My salary from the CCG, too bad that I can't withraw that money now. What is that? A letter from my aunt? She rarely writes to me. Did something happen?'

He opened the letter, and proceeded to read it. Then reread it as he frowned.

The next letter was from the government, and not the agency he used to work for.

It was from the Prison services, and by now Nagachika had a good idea what it would be about.

Reading it confirmed his suspicions.

'What would you think of me now, if you knew of this, and my thoughts and intentions on the particular matter, Ken? I hope Touka-chan knows what she is doing, with that harem of ours she is guiding. That I will fit there as a human between two ghouls… it sounds like the start of a joke, even.

I hope I won't end up bringing trouble of my own to your door, Kaneki, Touka.

He wandered just how it will effect the plans he has already prepared for them.

As Mado Akira was just leaving the CCG building, after yet another fruitless questioning about Nagachika, she found a man following her, calling after her.

"Miss, can you wait a moment. Miss!"

She stopped, and turned, taking in the one who called her.

He had plain clothes that had better days- faded jeans and a shirt in need of ironinc, with short sleeves, that exposed long tattoos, with a dragon motif, that went into the shirt. He also had the face of a thug.

"Yes?" she asked the yakuza wearily, hands on her weapon case, just in case.

"You just left that building, do you work there? Do you know a Nagachika Hideyoshi?"

OMAKE:

"Get ready to greet the new boss, Zanikichi!" the man said to his companion, as he knocked on the door.

"Enter."

They entered a the apartment, where two men and a girl were. he recognized one of them, the others didn't matter as much.

"Nagachika-sama, I know it may seem strange, but you are now the new head of the group. your father was a boss with influence, and with his passing, it falls to you to take his place, before the triads and other groups trample all over us.

"Welcome to the Yakuza, Aniki."

Author Notes:

Yess... the Omake seems somewhat weak to me, but it was the best of terrible rewritten options. and I want to try maintain an omake section for chapters of this fic.

I apologize for the delay, July was a busy month for me.

Please review.