It was quiet and peaceful. Too quiet.

"I think we should do something." Kuri set down her book.

A smile pulled at Kaneki's lips. "Like what?"

"I dunno. I just…" Don't want to waste the time we have together. Want to make memories before you disappear into your Ghoul…

Kuri swallowed. "Let's do something Kaneki." She pressed.

Kaneki stood up and stretched. "Want to come home with me?"

Kuri blinked. "Ah! Yes of course!"

Kaneki grabbed her hand. "Let's go."

Xxx

The big manor house made a huge impression as it seemed to rise from nothing into the forest. She wasn't expecting it, and Kaneki laughed at her shocked expression.

"Cmon." He pulled her in as the cold started to wrack his limbs.

Luckily, the heat was on. He led her into his bedroom first, and was pleasantly rewarded with her running her hands over all his bookshelves (there were five to her three) and taking out and looking at several. Yes, she was definitely a bookworm like him.

Kuri smiled at him. "Same room, different tastes. Honestly Ken, your reading The Shining?"

"Five times." Ken smiled at the memory. "As soon as I learned about American horror I kinda latched on to Stephen King. Takatsuki is still my favorite tho."

"I thought you liked Takeuchi?"

A sly smile. "That was for your benefit."

Kuri shoved him playfully. "You're one tricky Ghoul."

Snooping some more, she found a stack of journals. Her hand went out to touch one, and Kaneki stopped her quickly.

"No peeking." He tried to be playful, but he was actually panicked. Those journals didn't exactly paint him in a positive light.

"Do you write about me then?" Kuri giggled.

A sigh of relief. Good. That's what she needed to think of him. "All the time."

"Do you remember anything at all from being a Ghoul?"

For a terrifying moment, Kaneki thought she had figured out what he wrote about, but he recovered and said the only safe thing. "You."

"What do you mean?"

Kaneki sighed, choosing the lesser of two evils. "I remember…watching…you." He turned red. It's ok. There were worse things for her to know about him.

Kuri laughed. "That's an understatement. Your Ghoul is a major voyeur."

Kaneki laughed sheepishly. "Did you think about me?"

Kuri laughed again. "Didn't you see my ghoul art? And I started learning biomagical engineering to try to find a cure."

"What is biomagical engineering?"

Kuri grinned. "I just call it that. I've been experimenting with the biology of my body. As a cured ghoul. I thought putting 'magic' in it quantified the 'ghoul' part."

"It's not magic…" Kaneki muttered to himself.

Kuri extended her notes to him. "You're smarter than me, riddle it out yourself."

"I don't know about that…" Kaneki muttered again.

He took a look at her extensive notes. Actually her cure plans weren't unrealistic. It was very, very possible. The requirements and tools needed were probably at the local hospital!

Human again. It was going to happen!

Kaneki suddenly wanted to run. He grabbed Kuri's hand and led her into the forest. The too could easily keep pace and soon they found a beautiful, sun drenched spot.

"Beautiful…" Kuri breathed. "I think I've dreamed about this place…"

Kaneki started. How was that possible? He had been here as a Ghoul, but she had never been here.

Were they comm—

A kiss shut off his brain temporarily. He drew her to him in the warm sun and they kissed. He forgot everything, including being careful.

He pressed her against the tree, hands roaming as she eagerly traced his skin with her fingers.

His hand lifted her shirt, and—-a sharp, feral growl lifted from his lips.

Hearing himself, he suddenly shuddered with the cold, then refocused, growling, reaching out—

Kuri yanked him, hard, and unceremoniously tossed him into the warm house, slamming the door.

But it wasn't enough.

His Ghoul was winning, and spots danced before his eyes.