Kaneki want's to become stronger

"New guy," Kaneki heard a customer call out to him. "This is a little different from my normal cup. I prefer a deeper roasted blend than this."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I'll make you a new cup right away." Kaneki assured the customer.

"It's fine, I"m just mentioning it for next time," the old man smiled gently at Kaneki. Kaneki smiled back, but wanted to make sure he made the cup correctly the next time. He headed up the stairs to the coffee bean storage room in search of the specific blend the customer had wanted.

He entered the room to find Touka already in there, arranging the different blends. "What is it?" she asked him as he entered.

"Um, I used the wrong beans to make some coffee, so I was wondering where the beans used to make espresso are?" Kaneki cringed, expecting her to lash out at him in anger, berating him for screwing up again, but her scold never came.

"Be more careful next time," she said in an unexpectedly gentle way. She moved the ladder in the room into place then climbed up it, grabbed a blue can of beans. She glanced down at Kaneki to tell him about the beans when suddenly a look of pain shot across her face. Touka grabbed her shoulder as she lost her balance and fell, tumbling off the ladder and slamming into the ground.

"Touka!" Kaneki called out, and began approaching her.

"Don't come any closer," she spat out. "Leave me alone." She quickly stood up and marched past him, bumping into him as she went. Kaneki heard Touka slam down the stairs and out the back door to Anteiku. He looked down to where she had bumped into him to see blood coating his arm.

Kaneki glanced up as the manager approached him. "Did she get involved with the doves?" Yoshimura asked.

"Touka, involved with the doves?" Kaneki wondered aloud. "But why . . . more importantly, we have to treat her wound." Kaneki began walking out of the room, intending to help her, but the manager's firm voice stopped him.

"No." Kaneki gave a noise of surprise. "I said no," Yoshimura repeated.

"What are you talking about, she's bleeding!" Kaneki didn't understand why the manager didn't want to help her.

"Touka got involved with the doves herself, so she must be prepared to carry that responsibility alone. Whether she lives or dies shouldn't be anyone else's concern anymore." Kaneki couldn't believe what he heard coming from the manager's mouth. He had thought the manager would surely want to help Touka.

"But . . . Anteiku exists," Kaneki began. "To help others!"

"Do you think only ghouls from Anteiku can oppose the thousands of police investigators alone?" The manager asked him.

Kaneki knew the manager was right about that. The CCG was a major city wide ****. The ghouls of Anteiku couldn't possibly take them all on. But Kaneki couldn't bring himself to let Touka suffer alone.

"Manger," Kaneki said. "You've seen a lot of different things, and I think you've already made up your mind. But, for me, I wonder if I'm really prepared to face the investigators, and I still don't understand much about the rules of the ghoul world. That's why I'm going to see everything with my own eyes, and then decide what to do!" Kaneki rushed out of the room, intending to go help Touka.

The manager stared at Kaneki's back as he left. He disagreed with the boy, but he couldn't help but admire his resolve.

Kaneki opened the back door to Anteiku and found Touka leaning against the alley wall outside, sunlight shining down from above to illuminate her.

Touka didn't react to the door opening, and Kaneki wasn't sure she even knew he was there until she spoke. "What is it?" She asked.

Kaneki held up the gauze he'd brought. "Treatment for your—"

She cut him off. "I don't need it."

"But you're bleeding . . . " Kaneki said.

"It's none of your business, right?" She turned her head to look at him. "All your darting around is annoying, for a mere human."

Kaneki slumped as he heard her words. "I . . . I'm partially a ghoul too," he protested softly.

Touka didn't seem convinced. "You're just a remnant of one pretending to be an ally. What if I said this," she glanced up at him and smirked. "Go kill those fucking doves in my place, okay?" Kaneki stared at her, shocked at her suggestion. "If you can use Rize's kagune you probably could, right? You could do it to Nishiki before. Can you do it?" She stared at him. "You can't, can you?"

"There's no way a weak coward like you could have the courage or preparedness to do that." Kaneki felt his heart constrict at her words. He knew she was right. "I can't depend on the manager or Yomo or anyone else. I understand that already." She glanced up at the sky. "In fact, it'd be better for a murderer like me to die. I know there are good people among the humans, but, ghouls like Ryouko and Hinami are killed arbitrarily without being able to help themselves. Without even knowing anything, and without even seeing anything."

Kaneki was impressed, he couldn't deny it. She knew that she was wrong. She understood that and yet she still chose to fight. "Just like you said," Kaneki began. "I can't kill humans. I don't think that the existence of the investigators is a bad thing. I don't think you're right."

Touka stared at him, wondering where he was taking all this. "But the day I saw Ryouko's last moments, I did have a thought," Kaneki continued. "Whether it's a human's **** or a ghoul's. If that person is someone I know, then I can't stand it." Kaneki glanced down, somewhat embarrassed by what he was going to say. "If you died, Touka, I would probably be sad."

Touka looked genuinely surprised at what he said, but glanced down, trying to maintain her cool and collected appearance. "Ah, that so?" She said. "In the end, what is it you want to say?" She asked him.

"Teach me how to use the kagune." Kaneki responded. "I can't kill the investigators, but . . . doing nothing is also," Kaneki paused, trying to find the right word. "Unacceptable."

Touka glanced down and smirked, "Hmph," she said. "What are you planning, shit-head Kaneki."