Kuri walked into the kitchen, hands shaking. Her mind was full of images; Kaneki's hands grasping for air as he sank into the bathtub, his primal screams, his bright red kagune aiming for her face—

She slammed the pan on the burner, the sound distracting her as she heated up the soup.

Mindlessly, she started to sing. It helped, keeping her mind on the song, not allowing it to linger on anguish.

Kaneki was lying on the couch in a blanket resting, but Kuri couldn't look at him without crying just yet.

Finally she came out with a couple of dinner trays. She sat them on the coffee table.

"Well. That was…intense." She breathed.

Kaneki sighed. "How eloquent of you."

Kuri gave him a sad smile.

"I'm sorry…" Kaneki said softly. He touched her cheek where his kagune had sliced her, then licked the blood off in a fluid motion.

Kuri froze, feeling her body flush in response. "K-K-Ken…"

"There, see?" Kaneki touched her newly healed cheek. "Good as new."

Kuri glared at him. "Ghoulface." She accused playfully.

Kaneki just shrugged. "You did really well in there, I just wanted to properly reward you."

Kuri snorted. "It's not like I don't have practice."

Another dark thought.

Kaneki looked at her from the opposite corner of the couch. "You know…you can take off running at any point."

Kuri laughed. "I have had plenty of chance to run, I assure you."

"And you never have." Kaneki murmured gratefully.

After a silence, Kuri spoke up again.

"Tell me about the others. The other ghouls."

Kaneki groaned. "Fine."

He got up and picked up a picture from the mantel.

Painting to an elderly man in the center, he said. "This is Kuzon Yoshimura. He's the one who raised me." A note of pride in his voice. "Most of us believe he's the first ghoul, but he's always kept his mind when he changes, so it gives most of us hope that we, too, will grow into it."

Kuri fingered the photo. "Ok so what about this mother and daughter?"

"Ryouko and Hinami." Kaneki said. "I'm teaching Hinami to read. They both got attacked together; but Ryouko protected Hinami from the worst of it."

Kuri touched another face. The one who had fought with them.

Kaneki chuckled darkly. "Nishio. He's never really liked me. He likes being a ghoul, and because I hate it and try to be as human as possible, he resents me. Sorry you had to be thrust in the middle of that." He smiled sheepishly.

Kuri pointed to the man and woman right behind Yoshimura.

"That's Koma and Iriimi." Kaneki explained. "They are already full ghouls. They were changed by Yoshimura; apparantly they had a rough background."

Kuri pointed at the man standing at the edge of the group, looking pensive.

"That's Yomo." Kaneki said. "He's in charge of food." He shuddered.

There was an awkward silence.

"Ok last one." Kuri said. "The guy giving you the weirdly intense look."

Kaneki laughed. "That's Tsukiyama. He finds me absolutely delicious."

"You EAT each other?!"

Kaneki shook his head. "Not usually. He's tried a couple of times to eat me, and eventually we became friends. Well, I guess."

"So these are the only ghouls?"

"No." Kaneki said immediately. "Yoshimura told us that there are others. Most of them live underground where its warmer and they can keep there wits easier. We've met a few." He gestured to more pictures. "Uta makes our masks. Itori gives us information about the others. She likes me too—finds me fascinating I think."

He sat the pictures down.

"How did I know about that clearing?" Kuri pointed outside. "It felt like I had been there before."

"Because I told you." Kaneki said instantly. "I was desperate for you to come to me…I must have showed you where to go."

"Is that how ghouls communicate?"

"Not the others. Just me."

"How do the others—"

The dryer went off, and Kaneki quickly rose to get his clothes, grateful for another distraction.

The truth was, the other ghouls; he had no idea how they communicated. All of his time as a ghoul was a mystery. He only knew he COULD communicate because he had, with Kuri.

He changed into his warm, dryer-fresh clothes, shuddering at the sudden heat, thinking dark thoughts.

At some point the others would find them. Somehow he was going to have to explain to Yoshimura.

And then there was the matter of Ojiro…if he continued to run amok, it wouldn't just threaten Kuri—it would threaten everyone.

Kaneki was distracted by arms around his waist. He let out an automatic growl.

Kuri just giggled. "Very frightening."

"You should be scared." Kaneki mumbled.

Kuri just laughed harder. "You overestimate your scariness."

Kaneki grumbled. "And you underestimate the danger, as always."

"I found something!" Kuri sang. "Evidence."

"Are you a detective now?

"Shut up." Kuri grinned. "I found…MIWK!"

She held up a stinking carton.

"Gross. Expired." Kaneki held his nose. "Throw it away."

"Yes but it only expired three weeks ago!" Kuri mercifully disposed of the rotten milk.

Kaneki went rigid, and then wilted.

Kuri was there in a flash. "Hey hey hey. I'm sorry, ok. I didn't mean to make you sad. Cmere…"

And then they were kissing again. The heat began to rise in Kaneki again.

His hands went up her shirt, his tongue licking the inside of her mouth, his pelvis grinding against her…

Kaneki had a sudden memory of what he had almost done to her in the woods, and he slowly, regretfully, pulled back.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered. "But I…"

"I would have let you mate me out there you know." Kuri whispered.

Kaneki didn't even bother being shocked. "Maybe…but I want to be with you as a human…you belong to me, not my ghoul…"

Kuri sighed. "Your weird," she teased, kissing his cheek. "Now lets see if I can break into my car. She lifted a hanger and prowled off into the darkness.