A few days later

Kaneki knocked on the door to a lounge on the second floor of Anteiku, and entered as the voice inside signaled him to. He walked in to find Hinami sitting on a couch, a book in her hands. He approached her cautiously, like she was a timid deer he was trying to prevent from running away. And she might as well have been a deer in his mind. He wasn't sure how well she was holding up after the passing of her mother.

Hinami watched as Kaneki approached her then sat down on the couch next to her. "What are you reading?" He asked, his voice so soft she had to strain to hear it. Kaneki hadn't come to discuss her book, of course, but he thought she would appreciate it if he eased into the conversation he really wanted to have. And he couldn't deny that despite his intentions, he was curious about the book.

Hinami glanced down at the cover, as if to remind herself of what she'd been reading minutes ago. "Noruwei no Mori." Her voice was steady, but lifeless.

"Ah, that's a classic," Kaneki said. "I think many people can relate to the main character's emotional turmoil."

"I guess." Kaneki wasn't sure exactly what he expected from Hinami, but this emotionless, indifferent front she was presenting definitely wasn't it.

"Can you read all the kanji in there?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Well, if you ever need my help with anything, just ask." Kaneki said. "It doesn't have to be about literature. Anything."

Hinami wouldn't meet his eyes. "Okay . . ." she seemed to accept what he'd said, but Kaneki got the feeling she didn't have any plans to take him up on the offer. He still wanted her to know he was there for her, at least. Hinami seemed to think he was done, and didn't move as Kaneki continued sitting besides her. "Did you have something else to say?" she asked him.

Kaneki didn't take offense to her rather blunt words. "I just . . . I know you won't be alright for a while, Hinami. You can't recover so quickly from your mother's ****." Kaneki saw her tense as he finally mentioned Ryouko's passing. "But I just wanted to make sure you aren't suffering too much. That you know that everyone at Anteiku would be more than willing to help if you need someone to talk to."

Kaneki heard Hinami sniffle, and even though her head was turned down, he managed to catch a glimpse of the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Th-tha—" Her voice was shaky, and she stopped for a second to wipe at her eyes. "Thank y-you, Kaneki," she finally managed to say.

His arm wrapped itself around her shoulders, and he gently pressed her into him, hugging her close as she continued crying. "It's okay to cry," he assured her. "And if you don't want anyone else to see, I'll hide your tears." Hinami hugged him back as she continued crying softly.They stayed like that for several minutes before Hinami pulled back. Her face was red, her eyes swollen, but tears no longer leaked from her eyes.

"C-can you teach me s-some of the Kanji in here," she picked up her book again.

"I thought you knew them all," he teased her, taking great effort to keep his voice gentle and kind.

He was glad to see Hinami crack a small smile. "I lied," she admitted. Kaneki smiled back and took the book from her hands, placing it on the table and opening it up. Hinami adjusted herself on the couch then pulled out her notepad from the backpack resting behind the couch. She flipped through the pages of the book, pointing out Kanji as she went, and writing them down when Kaneki taught them to her.

Touka found them still absorbed in the book nearly an hour later. She knocked on the door and both their heads jolted up to look at her, surprised at the interruption.

"Ah, Touka," Kaneki greeted her.

"Hello, I hope I'm not interrupting anything too important," she said.

"Kaneki was teaching me some more kanji," Hinami replied.

"That's good." Touka paused for a second, wondering is she should really put a stop to their activities, since Hinami looked happier than Touka had seen her look in weeks. Which wasn't happy exactly, but at least not depressed. "Hinami, would you mind if I talked to Kaneki for just a second? I have something important to discuss with him."

"Oh, that's fine. I don't mind," Hinami replied, but she didn't move from the couch.

Touka sighed. She would have to be more direct than she wanted to be. "Well, it's a rather personal issue, Hinami, so . . . really, I wanted to speak to him alone, if you don't mind."

Hinami seemed to finally realize that Touka was asking her to leave the room. She seemed a bit disheartened, but nodded, grabbing her book and exiting the room. Touka thanked her as she passed, then closed the door to the room, making sure to lock it. She turned and approached Kaneki, who was still sitting on the couch. She took a seat next to him with a sigh.

"Maybe I shouldn't have done that . . . " she said, dropping her head into her hands. "She looked just a little bit less dead inside sitting here with you."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Kaneki assured her.

"You're probably right." Touka paused. "Have you been doing your workouts?" She asked him. They hadn't done an actual training session since their first, but Touka had said he should still be working out to improve his physical capabilities. Kaneki nodded his head in response to her question. "Good."

"You didn't interrupt to discuss workouts though." Kaneki stated it, rather than asking.

"No, I didn't. I wanted to talk about what you suggested after our training. About me supplying you with . . . food." She turned her head to stare straight into his eyes, and Kaneki felt himself blush at the intensity of her look. "You do realize what you're asking me, right? This isn't something a ghoul will do for just anyone. You're supposed to save it for someone who you really care about."

Kaneki lowered his head. "Ryouko had said something along those lines. Sorry for asking so much of you, I just . . . I just wanted to get stronger. I don't want to let what happened to Ryouko happen again. "

Kaneki heard Touka sigh. "So, how do you want to go about doing this."

He raised his head in confusion. "But . . . you just said that you'd only do that with someone you care about. I don't . . . " He trailed off, still confused.

"Ugh," She sighed, shaking her head in exasperation. "Learn to take a hint, idiot," Touka said. She suddenly grabbed Kaneki's shoulders and turned him to face her. He could see her cheeks were turning red, and he felt his own cheeks flare up in a blush. "Obviously that was my way of saying that I like you." Kaneki didn't get a chance to respond as Touka closed her eyes and leaned forward.

Her lips collided with his and Kaneki felt his stomach twist pleasantly in knots. His own eyes fell closed as he let himself be absorbed by her kiss. Her lips were warm and rougher than Ryouko's had been, but they felt oh-so Touka-ish that Kaneki couldn't help but press his own lips back into hers, trying to burn the sensation of her into his mind.

He felt her begin to pull back, and he let her, his eyes slowly opening to look at her. His heart was beating in his chest at what felt like the speed of light and his thoughts were racing just as fast, trying to catch up with the situation. He finally got a good look at her and realized what had just happened. Touka had confessed that she liked him, then she'd kissed him.

Kaneki felt euphoria rush through him. "Touka—" He never got the chance to speak, however, as Touka leaned in to kiss him again. The world around him faded away as they sat on the couch kissing. Her hands were still on his shoulders, and he felt her begin to push him down. He followed the movement of her hands until he was laying on the couch. His legs hung awkwardly off the side and Kaneki broke off their kiss so he could bring them up. curling them up to his body then extending them around Touka, so she sat between his legs.

Once he was settled he turned to look at her. A blush dominated her cheeks, and her eyes stared at his face hungrily as she sat on her knees between his legs.

"Kaneki . . . "