Tokyo Ghoul/東京喰種トーキョーグール 1. Introduction

**AN: **Oh hello! gh0ulchilld1992 here! So, this is my first ever fanfiction story. I just love Tokyo Ghoul so much that I decided to add my own OCs in the mix of the story and tragic life that is of Kaneki Ken. **WARNING:** this will follow the plot of the MANGA if you have not read the manga then I suggest you go read it because it's amazing and also that you will be a bit confused once this story starts to progress some more. Also, this will have a bit of romance between Kaneki and my OC, Ophelia, and as well as a sort of unhealthy relationship between her and Uta. Again, if you have not read the manga you'll be a little confused. Okay! Without further ado here is my story.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul nor am I claiming any rights to it. This is all the work of the beautiful mind that is Ishida Sui. I do however claim my three OCS: Ophelia, Crow and Aries. _

* * *

_Life can be cruel. A tragedy for some. _

_He didn't deserve all this_

_suffering..._

_He didn't deserve any_

_of this._

**Chapter 1**

**Introduction**

Staring in the mirror, Ophelia Kiriyama skillfully applied her favorite shade of lipstick, a deep burgundy, onto her luscious lips the color complimenting her flawless caramel skin and forest green eyes. Setting her tube of lipstick down, with her now free hands she proceeded to pull her ivory locks up into a messy high bun. Feeling satisfied with her appearance, the 23 year old made her way out of the shared bathroom and back towards the only bedroom, that was so graciously given to her since being the only female in the small apartment; careful not to disturb her cousins, Crow and Aries, which of whom were slumbering peacefully in the living room. Once inside her room the petite woman shed herself of her sleep wear and began to change into her attire for the day, which consisted of a pair of black skinny jeans, a sleeveless gray shirt and her most adored pair of green Doc Martens. Grabbing her hobo bag and her drawing pad from atop her dresser on the way out of the bedroom.

Before leaving she made her away into the kitchen to take out the frozen meat so it can defrost by the time the twins awoke. Ophelia also made a mental note that the trio will have to go out and hunt for more since they were running low. Casting one last look at the sleeping men on the living room floor, the female ghoul made her way out into the bustling Tokyo afternoon, making her way towards Anteiku coffee shop. It was only a 15 minute walk from where she resided in the 20th ward, one of the more docile areas in the Tokyo region. One of the only reasons why the remaining three members of the Kiriyama Clan escaped to this ward four years prior, after things became too chaotic with the CCG swarming the entirety of Osaka. Ophelia often missed her home city, but she rather enjoyed being alive and better yet she enjoyed her freedom. Most of her family had be exterminated by the ghoul investigators, the not so lucky ones such as her father and uncle had been captured and sent to Cochlea. She often pondered whether or not her father and dear uncle were still lived.

Lost in thought Ophelia found herself completely passing by the comfort of Anteiku. Slightly embarrassed she quickly backtracked and made her way inside the soothing atmosphere. Upon entering she was greeted warmly by Touka and Yoshimura. Returning their gesture with a smile and a small wave, the she-ghoul moved towards her usual spot in the corner of the shop. On the way passing by two young humans males animatedly discussing ghouls. It took everything in Ophelia's power to not bust out laughing at how ridiculous and cute their discussion was.

Humans had always peaked her interest, whether it be for food or just pure curiousity.

After placing her order for coffee, the young woman began to sketch in her drawing pad. Her hand taking complete control and drawing whatever her imagination brought forth. It was only when she heard a loud commotion did she look up from her pad to see Touka, all flustered, scurry away from the table that contained the two humans. Ophelia could have sworn she heard one of them say "how lovely" after Touka's retreating figure. Giving off a small inaudible laugh at that, she moved her line of vision towards the two. Her eyes making contact with a young timid looking man with a mop of black hair looking quite horrified at his friend's sudden outburst. It wasn't until he looked at Ophelia did she feel her heart drop to her stomach.

What an... unusual feeling.

Uneasy. Nervous. Suddenly feeling ill.

The bell to the shop rung, and just as soon as they made eye contact did they quickly break it as he turned around to look at who just entered through the doors. Ophelia's eyes made their way up towards that direction only to see Rize walk in causing a frown to appear on her stunning features. _Oh her highness_, thought Ophelia bitterly. Ever since Rize made her appearance the 20th Ward had been receiving a lot more unwanted attention, that and also with Shuu being a pain in the ass with his obsession with the perfect meal. But unlike with Rize, Ophelia held no ill-feeling towards the eccentric gourmet ghoul. Her dislike for her fellow female ghoul began about a month ago when Rize and Ophelia's cousin, Crow, got into an altercation over territory. The end result consisted of a very injured Crow writhing on the floor with agony. Seeing her beloved but idiot cousin so bloodied and beaten, rage overtook her senses and she found herself moving to attack the young woman, but she was fortunately held back my Yomo and Uta, for which at that moment was she grateful for; she was not sure if the end result would have been a pretty one.

_Uta..._

Just the thought of him was enough to deepen her frown to a near scowl, her mind sending her on a journey of displeasing memories. It wasn't until Touka set down another cup coffee did she snap out of her thoughts and look up at the young beauty in front of her, looking quite concerned down at Ophelia. Smiling graciously she thanked Touka and looking at the teen's retreating figure, scolding herself for allowing her emotions to take control again. Taking a deep breath and a sip of the sweet taste of Yoshimura's special batch did she then concentrated her mind back on her drawing.

* * *

After some time had passed Ophelia looked down at her finished work of a bizarre alien world, figuring she could color it in at home she felt satisfied with what she came up with and then began to pack up her things into her bag. As she looked up she noticed that the table that occupied the two humans was now a male short but definitely in stock with a certain gluttonous ghoul.

Setting down the pay she owed (along with a gracious tip) on the table and waving good bye to Touka and Yoshimura, Ophelia progressed towards the exit but not without chancing one more look at the human male. Upon settling her gaze at the young man, whose face showed nothing short of pure joy and a slight blush gracing his delicate features, a sudden feeling of unease settled into her stomach once more. She couldn't fight this panic that was rising in her throat. Just by looking at him something screamed out at her, but she couldn't tell what. She didn't understand this feeling. She bolted towards the door, not giving a damn on how ridiculous she may have looked just then. Not daring to look back.

Until she was sure she was far enough from the shop did she halt in her run to lean against a brick wall and catch her breath.

_Why am I feeling this way? What is this... Why should I care? He's just another human... just another meal. _

…

_But why do I get a feeling that something terrible is about to happen._

_This shouldn't matter._

Sighing, she continued to followed the path that led her back home still unable to shake off the foreboding feeling that had settled in her gut. She was unable to think of a valid reason why this was bothering her, he was just another unfortunate soul that so happened to cross paths with the wrong person, or in this case a monster. _It shouldn't matter, _she reminded herself. Pushing all thoughts pertaining to the frail-looking boy to the back of her mind. Looking down at her phone she saw it was already two in the afternoon, and whole hour and a half had passed. The twins should be awake from their slumber by now. She also needed to inform the both of them that they are to go grocery shopping later in the evening after she got off from work.

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**AN: **welp there you have it. I hope it was to your liking, I know it was a bit slow. Please, please, please feel free to review and leave me any constructive criticism.

By the way just so there is not confusion my Ophelia is Japanese mixed but her cousins are full Japanese, I will explain more in detail in the next chapter.

PEACE! :3


	2. Blood

**AN: **Heyyy here is chapter two. I would like to thank **CatGrimm **for the review :) and don't worry I will be sure and not make Ophelia a ghost OC, I've read stories like that and they were quite disappointing. What's the point of adding your own character if they're not going to be a part of it? Also to the ones who favorite and follow this story. Makes me all warm inside. I would also like to apologize, this chapter is so long I just got a bit carried away and kept writing. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter though but just be warned none of the main characters from Tokyo Goul itself make an appearance, except towards the end but it's short-lived. This mainly focuses on Ophelia and her cousins. Just so you can get a feel of their characters.

Again, this story will be based mostly on the manga, not the anime.

__Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul nor am I claiming any rights to it. This is all the work of the beautiful mind that is Ishida Sui. I do however claim my three OCS: Ophelia, Crow and Aries__

**Warning: **this chapter does contain some cursing and mentions of violence.

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Chapter 2

**Blood**

Entering the threshold of her apartment Ophelia was not surprised to find her cousins wrapped in their comforters, with their ink like hair disheveled, casually sitting in front of their round chabudai devouring what was left of their meal. Upon hearing the front door open both men looked up at her, acknowledging their cousin's arrival. Aries just giving her his usual blank look and Crow greeting her with a warm smile and a mouth full of food.

"Tadaima!"

"Okaeriiiii!" both twins exclaimed in unison... well more Crow than Aries, his voice was a lot softer than his brother's.

Out of the two, Crow was the more social twin. He was rash, had inappropriate outbursts, and hot-tempered. Whereas Aries was more reserved and cool-headed, it was extremely hard at times to know what he was thinking and now that she thought about it that is probably the reason he seemed to get along so well with Yomo. Only on rare occasions was Ophelia able to get a ghost of a smile on his placid features. No one really knew why he was like that, ever since he was a child he had been so indifferent to everything around him. Ophelia still loved him the same and she knew he loved them as well, seeming since he tolerated both Crow and herself; and both men had always been by her side through thick and thin.

If it hadn't been for them, she would have perished with the rest of their family that night.

Most of the time many found it debatable that the three were actually related. Ophelia stuck out int he crowd with her exotic features in contrast to her cousins' who were of pure Japanese descent, though they still received the same amount of attention as Ophelia with their strong handsome features and fierce golden eyes. Her mother, Azalea, was from America but of Caribbean descent with the most extraordinary green eyes and of the most beautiful shade of chocolate. She would always recall the story her father told her when he first laid eyes on her mother at an art gallery. He knew from her scent that she was a ghoul and from her beauty he couldn't help but pursue her, it was usually rare to see a foreigner that was of the ghoul species. And that rarity made her mother another victim of the CCG when she was still a young child. Because of that she unfortunately did not remember much of her dear mother. Just the stories her father would tell her as she contently listened. Ando Kiriyama had always been her hero as hard as it was for him to help run the Chūō-ku ward in Osaka, he was still a good father to her. She still remembered the day he took her to Bakraku theathre to see her first traditional play, go shopping in Shinsaibashi, or the morning her father and her Uncle Kenji along with the twins went to see the Osaka Castle. She truly did miss him, his snow like hair that hung in his face and his warm honey colored eyes. She was well aware with what he did. He killed doves, as well as some fellow ghouls and humans that caused trouble for others. What else was he to do? They needed to survive and he did it to protect them.

But his efforts had him and Kenji ranked as SS and thus were detained after a raid performed by the CCG. She can only hope that he and her uncle were still since that night four years ago it had been just Ophelia, Aries, and Crow. They were the only family she had left and she is forever grateful to them saving her.

"So... Ophie are you just going to stand there by the door all the day or are you going to come join us down on this comfortable hard-wood floor?" questioned Crow, snapping her out of her daze.

"Yeah, sorry about that." she made her way towards them and brought herself to the ground bringing her needs up under her chin and wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Well," started Crow, "anything interesting happen while you were out?"

Ophelia felt her heart run cold. The image of the boy entered her mind and the uneasiness she felt from earlier returned. She hesitated a moment and decided against telling the two about what she experienced not even an hour ago. They would have thought her mad for worrying over a human like that.

"Nah, not really. I did however get a new drawing done, check it out" she hastily removed her drawing pad from her purse and shoved it in front of Crow's face.

Inspecting the image before him and let a soft smile grace his features, "Hey, alright Aliens. I like this one a lot. Looks pretty good, what do you think Aries?"

"hmm interesting"muttered the other twin just before Crow handed back the pad to Ophelia.

"Gee thanks guys... So what to do you got planned for the night? I have to be in at work by 7:30."

"I'm not sure we're most likely gonna go over to Helter Skelter's with Yomo and Uta to kill time before we gotta come pick you up."

Ophelia couldn't help but make a face at that especially since the mentioning of a certain ghoul's name.  
"Okay, well just make sure you get there on time. We have to go and stock up on food it'll be a lot easier to get a good meal too since there'll be so many dirt-bags out tonight, Fridays usually bring out the worst type of humans."

Ophelia worked as a go-go dancer in a night club in Shinjuku, known to most as the 4th Ward. It was possibly a job that her father would frown upon, but it pays very well. As long as it paid the bills that's all the mattered to her. She had fun at her job, though of course there was always the occasional over-confident pig that would make a grab at her but that always made looking for a meal that much easier. The trio usually made an effort to strictly go after menaces to society (in a big ward such as the 4th it was usually sexual offenders that preyed upon unsuspecting women that they devoured) but at times they had to settle on average Joe that was unfortunate enough to cross their paths.

"Aries and I will be sure to get there an hour early to scope out the area... so, uhm Ophie you know Uta has been asking about you..."

"oh has he?" she questioned as she narrowed her eyes at Crow. Of all things he could have brought up this was definitely the last thing she wanted to talk about.

"Look I know you guys had a really bad falling out but in the past two years he has really grown the fuck up. Can't you just talk to him like a civilized person maybe at least try to be friends with him?"

"Wow, Crow, never thought I'd see you try to be a peacemaker. Why the sudden interest in getting me to acknowledge that asshole?"

"I'm just tired of hearing him bitch and moan about you. You guys were together for two years just try to clear things up with him. I'm not asking you to go and screw him or anything."

"Yeah, two years I wasted with him. Need I remind you that jerk abandoned me in the middle of Kabukicho and his creepy friends stole my wallet!" As trivial as that may have seem to a few, it was the last straw for her. Burying her head in her knees she thought of all the other things that happened during her time with the "No Face" Ghoul. He did however show her a face, one of a sadistic individual. He never physically abused her, not once had he laid a hand on her. But the mental stress he placed upon her and some of the things she was forced to do was more than enough.

At times she did miss Uta, he was the first friend she truly had once she arrived in Tokyo and he was so charming. She had admired his strength, if she was being honest with herself she still did. She aslo knew he had changed in the past two years, stepping down as peacemaker of the 4th ward and concentrating on his business as a mask maker really mellowed him out some. But it was constantly an inner struggle for Ophelia, she was too forgiving for her own good and she was terrified to forgive him. She was terrified to find herself back in that situation. She was terrified he hadn't really changed. That is was all just another game of his. Sighing in defeat she looked to Crow, she suddenly felt exhausted.

"I'll talk to him but on my own time and when I am sure I won't punch him in the face. Anyways I think I am going to take a nap, gotta save up all my energy for our hunt later"

"Alright, one of us will come wake you later"

Without sparing them another glance, Ophelia quietly made her way to her room.

* * *

Exiting the overcrowded subway cart was always Ophelia's least favorite thing to do once arriving in the Shinjuku station. She always felt suffocated by the vast amount of people and she didn't particularly like being shoved. Finally making it out to a clear opening, Crow dropped to his knees dramatically gasping for air and receiving quizzical looks from those passing by.

Feeling a tad bit embarrassed Ophelia lightly kicked Crow, "Stop it you're making people stare at us."

"Let them stare, I don't care. God, we should invest in a car or something the cart was filled more than usual tonight."

"Whatever stop whining. Let's go," Aries soft voice stated as he walked past the two.

Upon arriving at Gotham, the club Ophelia worked at, the three bid their farewells after discussing the plan for tonight. The twins promising to figure out a way to bring the meal back home without drawing any attention. At that Ophelia turned to enter the nightclub and walked through the empty floor to make her way backstage to prepare herself for the night. Arriving at her locker and shedding herself of her tank top and gray sweatpants she carried on to change into her "uniform" that consisted of a cropped black bustier and black ripped leggings finished off with a pair of flat laced knee-high black boots.

After changing she walked towards the large mirror on the other side of the room, she saw a few of her coworkers already preparing themselves for the night, settling herself at the farthest corner of the mirror. Giving the other girls a small smile, Ophelia began to apply makeup to her face. She normally would only wear lipstick on her days off but she always did enjoy dressing up when she arrived at Gotham she always made sure to be as dramatic as possible with her makeup on nights she worked. Applying her eyeliner thickly she made it into a cat eye shape then adding hot pink eyeshadow underneath her eyes and to finish it off with baby pink tint to her lips. Smiling to herself in the mirror, feeling quite confident with her handiwork.

"Hey Ophelia, I like your makeup tonight." Turning quickly to her right she saw her coworker Mitsuko put her cosmetics bag down next to her own. If Ophelia had to name at least one human friend she supposed she would consider Mitsuko, as she was the only one who bothered to ever talk to her the three years she's worked here not that she herself made an effort to talk to anyone else. Mitsuko was a lovely girl she had a heart-shaped face and the most intense auburn eyes she's ever seen. She supposed what really made the girl stick out was the different colors she'd dye her hair every month, this month it was a neon yellow.

"Thank you, Mitsuko." Ophelia responded quietly. When she wasn't hunting them for food she always found herself a bit shy around humans that would interact with her. Bowing her head slightly Ophelia moved back to her locker to put her possessions away. It was close to time for the club to open.

* * *

It had been a few hours into her shift, unlike most of her coworkers who would stay until the club closed around 4 in the morning her shifts usually ended around 2 per her request. It was possibly around midnight now and she still had yet to scope out a meal. Crow and Aries would be showing up soon to pick her up. That was when it hit her, the feeling of being watched. At the bar she saw a man possibly in his mid 30s with a receding hairline leering at her from afar. That's all she need as she gave the man a seductive smile and a wink, as much as it disgusted her to do so. She noticed his startled expression and he looked around him for a second before pointing to himself.

_Trust me buddy you are definitely not my type, _thought Ophelia to herself as she continued to make contact with the man on and off for the rest of her shift. She knew he would follow her, he seemed the type that would go after any woman who gave him a second glance.

When one of her coworkers came to take her place at her stand she jumped down and made her way towards to the back of house but not before sending her future meal a small wave. Deciding to leave her makeup on until she got home she quickly changed into her tank and sweatpants, hastily putting her sneakers on. After throwing her work clothes in her locker she grabbed her bag and made her way out.

Standing at the mouth the alleyway next to the club she impatiently waited for her cousins. Looking down at her phone she noticed the time read 2:20.

"Where are they? They should have been here by now..."

"Need a ride home, beautiful?"

Startled at the voice Ophelia turning to her side to see the man from earlier making his way towards her. She almost let out a small laugh at how easy this was going to be; as well as finally feeling the presence of her cousins in the shadows. She slowly started to back up and of course he followed her steps, she wasn't surprised.

"N-no that's fine. I am waiting for my c-cousins they should be here any moment" she stuttered putting up the façade of a frightened girl.

"Come on, I wouldn't mind giving you a ride. A pretty little thing like you shouldn't be out here on her own. There's dangerous people out there and ghouls. Those monsters would eat you up in a heart beat." He made a move to grab her arm but she was too quick for him and continued moving back. Honestly, not liking the vibe he was giving off.

"I said no, and I'm sure a ghoul would be better company than you." he didn't seem to take to kindly to that.

"Come on you little bitch, I saw the way you were looking at me. You think it's funny to toy with someone like that? You have another thing coming." At that he lunged at her and letting out a small scream she turned further down into the darkness and ran herself into a dead-end, _perfect_. Feeling the man's presence behind, he spun her around and she allowed herself to be pinned against the wall by him but was not ready for the smack he delivered to her face. Not that it hurt, but it still angered her. Narrowing her eyes at the man as he grinded against her. She wanted to gag by his proximity, he reeked of liquor. "I got you now you little tease."

Ceasing her 'struggling' she looked behind him and began to laugh, "No," her kakugan becoming present, "I got you."

He hardly had time to react as he what he thought felt like tentacles grab both his legs and pull. His face hitting the floor with a loud crack. Before he had a chance to start screaming he was quickly dragged backwards silenced by a hand over his mouth as he was pulled up to a standing position.

A soft voice of a male whispered in his ear, "You have a lot of nerve to hit a woman like that. Have you no honor?"

The man began weeping as Aries held him in place while Ophelia made her way up to him, "You shouldn't be out here on your own. It's not safe with _monsters _running about." Nodding her head to Aries, with speed to fast she hardly had time to blink the man's body slumped forward with his neck hanging in an unnatural position. Aries allowed the body to drop on top of the bag that was laid out while Ophelia was distracting him.

She almost felt bad for him, but if it had been any other girl who knows what he would have done to them... _I did egg him on... no that still doesn't justify his actions, he was a pig. _For some reason her mind suddenly went back to the boy at Anteiku. She found herself wondering if he was still alive... of course not. He was with Rize after all. For some reason this saddened her. But she was quickly brought out of her thoughts as she heard Crows impatient voice.

"Uhm hey Ophie a little help would be nice, we have to take this guy apart and bag him up before Yomo gets here or any unwelcome guests."

"Yomo?"

"Uh, yeah," Crow said in between ripping the man's arm off, " He was kind enough to give us a ride back home, and I'd rather not be caught with garbage bags full of human body parts. So get to work, missy. Chop chop."

"O-oh right, sorry" she got to her knees quickly and began helping dismantle the body up until Yomo got there and assisted them with getting the bags into the trunk of his car. She was grateful for the fact that everyone around this area were either still in all clubbing or too drunk to even notice the four suspicious characters. Before entering the backseat of the car she turned to see Crow cleaning up any left over mess they may have missed, as having the eyesight of a ghoul it was not difficult for them to see in the dark. After being satisfied with his inspection Crow quickly got into the car and Yomo began to maneuver their way out of the 4th ward and back toward the 20th. Resting her head against the window, Ophelia allowed her mind to wander back to the boy at the coffee shop.

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**AN:** so there you have it, Chapter 2. please please pleaseeee review any constructive criticism is appreciated.

Chapter Three will go back to the main story line.


	3. One-Eye

**AN: **Yay, so here is Chapter 3. I am not entirely sure how I feel about this one but I spent a lot of time on it. Even went through it about three times. So I hope it's to your liking. I would like to thank **wannabeghandi **and **guest **for their reviews, they are much appreciated and will be taken into consideration. oh! as well to all of the lovelies that favorite and follow this story, ya'll make me happy. :)

But for now enjoy!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul nor am I claiming any rights to it. This is all the work of the beautiful mind that is Ishida Sui. I do however claim my three OCS: Ophelia, Crow and Aries._

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**Chapter 3**

**One-Eye**

Weeks had passed since the day she saw _him _at Anteiku. Even though she had come to terms that he was made a meal of she still found herself looking up every time someone walked through the entrance door of the shop, in hopes that he would turn up. She was disappointed every time, constantly scolding herself for acting so foolishly. It will forever remain a mystery why it continued to bother her so much. The feeling in her gut never easing up on her. It made her sick, to the point of losing her appetite. Barely eating anything, brought a large amount of concern in both her cousins.

It became worse the day, a few weeks back, when Crow barged into her room with news that shocked her to the core. According to what Itori had informed him, Rize Kamishiro had perished. Her supposed "death" had not settle well with her. Ophelia never particularly liked Rize but she never wished any ill-will on the girl. Initially she assumed that Itori's sources were wrong and that Crow was simply misinformed, as ecstatic as he was when telling her of the news. But as time went by nothing was heard nor seen of from the binge eater of the 20th ward.

She knew deep down that nothing would ever go back to normal. As cliché as it sounded a storm was coming and there was no preventing it. What could Ophelia do? Nothing. So she continued living her life though she felt as if it were on repeat. The same old thing. The weekends consisted of working so she could make money and pay the bills. If it weren't for the occasional hunting she would have felt particularly human having to worry about such trivial things. On her time off Ophelia often found herself wandering around aimlessly much like she was doing on this particular October night. Her figure engulfed in her black hoodie and hand gripping onto the styrofoam cup filled with coffee. If she had paid attention and not stare at her feet she would have noticed the panicked figure running in her direction. The sudden impact of a body hitting her own frame was enough to startle the young woman and nearly topple her to the ground. Though the same could not be said for her wasted cup of coffee, as it she watched it form a small puddle below her.

Sighing in annoyance she turned to the jackass that ran into her, "Oi baka! Watch where you're... going," her blood ran cold the moment she looked at his face, "It's you..."

Just as she was he was frozen to the spot where he stood.

Ophelia couldn't believe it, he was still alive. As excited as she was to see the boy she had been secretly hoping to see alive again, she couldn't miss the look of despair and pure panic on his face. But what stuck out the most to her that made her heart falter was the single kakugan staring back into her own eyes. Her breath caught in her throat, she could not comprehend what she was seeing. She'd only ever heard of stories as a child of one-eyed ghouls. Just urban legends. But now one stood in-front of her.

She could have sworn he had been human.

"Your eye... what... what happened to you?" Her voice was just above a whisper but he had apparently heard her and that was enough to break the frightened boy out of his stupor, eyes widening as he harshly shoved past the disconcerted woman.

The young Kiriyama turned to watch him run off into the distance until he was no longer in her line of sight. _What happened to him? _She had been more than certain that he was human, but then... his scent was a little off and familiar to her somehow. He had seemed extremely spooked as well. Struggling to gather all her thoughts and make sense of this bizarre situation, Ophelia began to turn back around and make her way home until she saw movement from the mouth of an alley.

Touka had emerged from the darkness of the said alley that was just a little further down the way from where Ophelia stood. At the sight of the young ghoul Ophelia darted towards her. She could only assume that the teen had seen the boy as well and she needed to be sure. Her curiosity always getting the best of her, she began to call out Touka's name.

At the sound of her name, Touka turned and was surprised to see Ophelia running towards her.

"Oh, hello Ophelia. How're you tonight?" she greeted the older ghoul.

"Did you see him?" Ophelia eagerly asked, completely ignoring the girl's greeting, grabbing onto her shoulders in an excited way.

"wha...?"

"The guy... the one- eye... I saw him j-just now. But he seemed really spooked. Did you run into him by any chance?"

"yeeaaahh... he was in the alley. I offered him an arm but he freaked out, screamed, then ran away from me. Pissed me off... I don't get why he wasn't eaten...But then I noticed his eye... why do you ask Ophelia?"

"So you remember him too?! I saw him at Anteiku with Rize about a month or so ago. Touka, when I looked at him I had this feeling, a feeling that something terrible was going to happen. I can't explain it and I thought he died... but now... he's here and... his eye... wait, Touka I am so sorry but I have to go! I promise to explain later" Suddenly something had dawned on her. At that Ophelia took off leaving behind a confused Touka.

"Tch... what is it with everyone pissing me off today."

* * *

Rushing to the main district in the 20th ward, Ophelia hailed down a cab. Giving the driver the directions they took off towards the 14th ward. She knew she would probably regret going where she was, but she had to be sure. She needed get more information to connect the dots and there was only one person to go to for that. Upon arriving to her destination, she paid her fare and made her way towards the doors of Helter Skelter.

Ophelia wasn't surprised to see that her cousins were there along with Yomo. She thanked whatever gods were out there that Uta was absent. But her sudden appearance did shock the company inside the bar. Ophelia determinedly walked up to Itori blatantly ignoring the other three in the bar.

"How did Rize die?"

" Well it's good to see you too Miss Kiriyama." Replied Itori coolly, taking a sip from her wine glass.

"Itori, please. I'm sorry for rudely just barging in here but I need to know how she died."

Drawn to Ophelia's exasperated tone, Itori gave the woman a sly smile. "And why the sudden interest? It is quite brash of you to just wander on in here."

Ophelia was beginning to become impatient with the woman before her. She could only take so much of Itori's personality. "What if I were to tell you something interesting in return?"

This seemed to really peak the gossip's interest. "Ohhhh? Well then by all means let's talk. Hmm... let's see. According to my sources it seems that poor Rize was killed in an _accident... _a pile of support beams fell on top of her."

Ophelia gave the woman a skeptical look, "Are you seriously going to believe that some metal beams killed her? A ghoul? You know it takes a lot more than that to kill us."

"Yeah, but who knows the impact may have been so severe that it may have hindered her regenerative abilities. _But _I do have other sources that said it wasn't just a mere accident. Someone did Rize in." Itori took a sip from her glass smiling the whole time.

"Huh, well I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case she wasn't exactly the most liked girl. Unless if you counted the poor fool's that fell for her deceiving demeanor... wait was Rize the one involved with that construction site accident? The one that's been all over the news with the doctor that did the organ transplant?"

"My my little Ophelia here has a sharp mind doesn't she?" teased Itori, something that Ophelia chose to ignore at the moment as she put all the facts together.

_If Rize had been 'killed' in this accident that means that the boy must have been with her since there were two students founded at the site... then he must have been the one to receive the organ transplant, a ghoul's organs nonetheless, and seeing that being born as a one-eyed ghoul is close to impossible... so... that means._

"Shit!" Ophelia exclaimed as she stood up from her seat next to Itori abruptly, startling not only the woman but as well as causing her to spill the blood in her glass on the bar counter.

"Oi, Oi Ophelia you made me cause such a mess. What gives?"

"Sumimasen, but I have to go. Crow, Aries I'll see you at home! Bye Yomo! Sorry again." Finally acknowledging the three men as she made a b-line to the door, she was nearly halfway out until she heard Itori call out to her.

"HEY! YOU SAID YOU'D TELL ME SOMETHING INTERESTING!"

"I never said I'd tell you tonight." Giving the woman a mischievous smile she walked out of the bar.

* * *

As she was descending the stairs from Helter Skelter, Ophelia did not anticipate to run into a certain tattooed mask maker. Cursing her luck she stood there frozen on the steps staring down at the ghoul before her as he stared back with an incredulous look before quickly masking it with his normal expressionless face. This was the last thing she expected, and possibly the last thing she wanted to deal with tonight.

Clearing his throat, Uta raised his head as he looked up at the woman that once kept his bedside warm "Hello Ophelia." His voice was just as soft and soothing as ever.

"Hey... Uta." she couldn't help but feel extremely awkward all of a sudden. After having that talk with Crow about talking to her ex and clearing the air... she had failed to do so. Avoiding it as much as she could, well up until now.

She knew somehow she'd regret coming to see Itori.

"It's a pleasant surprise to see you around here."

"yeah, it is."

They continued to stand in silence, just staring at one another. Well he stared at her she just looked down at her feet in an uncomfortable manner. She hated being in these type of situations and Ophelia finally decided in her mind that this had reached an all new level of weird and awkward. Maybe she should say something? Nearly jumping when Uta decided to break the silence.

"Well, I know when attempting conversation is pointless. I'll be on my way then. Have a good night Ophelia, it was nice seeing you again." with slight disappointment in his voice he began his way to move pass her when he felt a small hand grip his arm. Look down at the dainty woman who stood next to him, her eyes tightly shut.

Opening her eyes, Ophelia turned to look Uta in the eyes. Something overcame her when she heard the disappointment laced in his voice. She knew this would happen if she were to see him again. Sighing she gave in, "Uta I really can't talk now I have to go deal with something. But, if you're free sometime this week maybe I can stop by the shop so we can talk."

To say he was taken back by what she just said was an understatement. He couldn't believe she was actually offering to give him the opportunity to clear things up with her. Smiling softly her gave her a small nod. "I'll be free tomorrow after five if you are able to come by then."

"Yeah, I'll see you then." Finally releasing her grip from his arm she gave him a small wave as she rushed past him, he staring at her the whole way until she turned the corner and could no longer see her. Turning to ascend the rest of the way up to Helter Skelter, there was a visible grin plastered on his pierced face.

Upon turning the corner Ophelia made her way down a bit further until she was able to get a cab. Settling herself in the back seat, she stared out the window as she pondered about the events of the day. The boy who miraculously lived but somehow turned out to be a ghoul and a one-eye of all things, the information on Rize's death and the organ transplant, and to top it off her run in with Uta. Why she decided to make plans to talk with him was beyond her but she couldn't bear hearing the tone in his voice. Maybe he had really change... but at the moment she needed to put that in the back of her mind as that would be dealt with tomorrow. For now she needed to speak with Yoshimura.

* * *

**AN: **So there you have it, we're finally getting into the main story line. I was honestly going to make it go through chapters 2-9 but I decided that would be absolutely way wayyyy too long.

Also it may be a while until the next chapter is out I have an essay and mid-term to study for. D:

So until then my lovelies, please review. Any feedback in welcomed. :D


	4. Second Chances

**AN: **okay, so I know I said I wouldn't be updating for a while but I was able to finish my essay on time :D and I had a huge wave of inspiration to finish this chapter and get it out. That and maybe the fact that it's 2 AM and I am pumped up on a lot of coffee. WOOO. ANYWAYS I would loveeeee to thank **crayonx3, Ghoulish Guest, **and **Anon **for your reviews they really filled me with joy, also a big thank you to to all the new followers. :D

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**warning: there is cursing in this chapter.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul nor am I claiming any rights to it. This is all the work of the beautiful mind that is Ishida Sui. I do however claim my three OCS: Ophelia, Crow and Aries_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Second Chances**

Reaching her destination, Ophelia paid the cabbie her fee and swiftly exit the vehicle. She was absolutely thankful when she saw that Yoshimura was still inside. Going up to the large window she knocked to get his attention, a task in which she was successful in. Seeing the older ghoul look in her direction she graced him with a smile and a small wave then mouthing to him, _ "I need to talk to you."_

Giving her a nod of agreement the manager went to let the young woman in. Giving Ophelia a warm smile upon opening the door for her. "What an unexpected visit, Ophelia. How can I help you?"

Entering the café, she noticed that he was the only one there. _Good, _she thought, _it'll make things easier to explain without prying eyes._

Turning to the older ghoul she asked the pondering thought that had plagued her mind, "Is it possible for someone to make an artificial ghoul?"

Taken back by her question Yoshimura's widened enough to show the curiosity in his kakugans.

"And what makes you ask such a question?"

Ophelia took in a deep breath and began to explain everything to him. The day she laid eyes on the young man at Anteiku weeks earlier, Rize and her demise, the organ transplant and finally of the when she encountered the boy again only that this time he was sporting a single kakugan while his other eye remained completely normal. "I believe when they conducted the transplant they may have unknowingly made him into a half-ghoul. That's the only logical explanation I can think of... he just looked so frightened and... lost."

Throughout it all Yoshimura sat patiently, soaking in all the information the young woman was watering him with. There was a part of him who found this very hard to believe... but the other half knew full well that it is more than possible to achieve this. But what he feared was whether this had been intentional or not. But he chose to keep that to himself.

"What do you suggest we do, Ophelia?" he asked?

There was only one thing she could suggest they do, "Help him. He's most likely confused and in desperate need of support and guidance," pausing for a moment she thought carefully of her next words, "I... I have a feeling that he can grow to be something more... something great." _Or become something terrible._

"hmm... I see. Well you, Ophelia, know better than anyone that here in Anteiku we give aid to any ghoul in need."

Giving him a wide smile she bowed in gratitude to the kind man before her, "Thank you, Yoshimura. As soon as I see him again I'll do my best to bring him to you."

"No need to thank me. I am more than happy to help and I will keep you informed if anything happens."

Feeling accomplished in this task, Ophelia bid her farewell to Yoshimura. Stepping out into the chilly October night she began her journey back home. The events from the night finally catching up to her and all she wanted to do was collapse face first into her bed.

* * *

It had been hours since she awoke from her deep slumber but Ophelia absolutely refused to get out of bed, her nerves bouncing off the walls. Peeking out from underneath the security of her thick blanket she saw the clock read 2:30 P.M. Groaning to herself she buried her head further into her pillow. The fact that the time to come and face her ex was nearing gave her the worst anxiety. Besides that she knew that Crow would barge into her room any minute and drag her out bed. Releasing a discontented sigh she threw the covers off her frame and began to lift herself off the comfort of her bed. Gathering her necessities she proceeded to the shower to begin her day.

After towel drying her ivory curls, the woman gazed at her appearance in the fogged up mirror. Scrunching up her face in contemplation she decided against any make-up. Changing into a pair of black skinny jeans and an oversized burgundy sweater she wandered back into her bedroom. Putting on her green boots and grabbing her bag she took one last look at the clock, 3:45. Perfect, she had more than enough time to stop by and get a cup of coffee at a Starbucks on the way.

Descending into the living room, she was surprised to only see Aries sitting casually on the couch reading a book.

"Hey Aries... where's Crow?" she asked quizzically.

Looking up from his reading to make brief eye contact with his cousin just to return his attention the novel he was engrossed in. He simply replied with, "Out with Yomo."

"Very informative, thanks Aries. I'll be back later." Not bothering to wait for a reply, not that she'd really get one, Ophelia walked out the door.

Finding a vacant section in the metro cart, the young ghoul plopped herself comfortably down on one of the free seats and began to play a game of solitaire on her phone until she reached her destination in Shinjuku. She was enjoying the her own company until she felt an unwelcome presence situate themselves on either side of her. _Of all the free spots in this damn cart these asses had to sit right next to me, _this annoyed her to no end .

"What are you playing?" The one on her right asked.

Nothing.

She ignored them, hadn't even bothered to turn her head to look at them.

"Hey my friend asked you a question."

Yet, she continued to ignore them. This often happened to Ophelia when she traveled without one of her cousins. Her exotic appearance often brought her unwanted attention, and especially the attention she received from human admirers made her feel beyond awkward; though at times she appreciated the compliments they gave her. But, she was not too fond of being confined in one spot and pestered with useless questions.

"Maybe she doesn't understand us."

_twitch._

"Yeah, probably for the better she looks like she wouldn't be able to hold much of an intellectual conversation anyway."

_teeth grinding._

"She really is pretty, that hair is like snow." She felt a hand tug on her curls and that was the last straw.

Violently smacking the hand that held her curl she pushed herself up from her seat and glared at the two men, they looked no older than herself. She let them have it, "I can understand you both perfectly, I was born and raised in this country I just chose not to answer your question because I have no desire to speak to either of you especially after you so rudely sandwiched me in this corner, but I kindly chose to ignore that since my stop is coming up soon. Also, if you touch my hair again I will rip off your hand and eat it." Both men gave her astonished stares, as if not believing what they just heard and too scared to move. As she was walking away she quickly backtracked, "And one more thing I am fully capable of holding a 'intellectual' conversation. So fuck you very much."

At that she triumphantly walked away to a more crowded area of the cart and continued with her game of solitaire in peace. Shortly after she reached her destination and thanking the gods that she was not bothered for the rest of the journey. Looking down at her phone screen she noted she had about 20 minutes to reach HySy and she knew she'd be late. _Damn _she really hated being late but she really needed coffee especially after the ordeal she had to deal with on the train.

Walking out of the station she made her way to the nearest Starbucks in the area. Promptly ordering her coffee, she was surprised that it was not as busy as she thought it be. Maybe this was a sign that the day will get better and her talk with Uta will go smoothly. Taking a sip of the coffee she felt her body instantly heat up in a pleasant way. Feeling a little more confident she made her way towards the shop.

* * *

Finishing up the last final touches of his design, Uta carefully placed the wet mask on the stand to let dry over night. Looking to the clock he saw that it was already 5:15 and knowing Ophelia as well as he did she knew she was always on time. Sighing in defeat he began to pack away some of his essentials, he knew it too good to be true that she'd actually show up. Grabbing his sunglasses from his work station Uta slowly dragged his feet to the shop's door. As he opened the door he was shocked to see Ophelia standing in front of the now open threshold, a cup of coffee in one hand and the other up in the air as if she were ready to knock. He just stared at her dumbly.

Slowly putting her hand down, Ophelia scoffed.

"Well geeze, I see how bad you wanna talk to me. Ready to leave just because I was just a few minutes late."

"More like 15 minutes late." He stated bluntly, all she could do was give him a blank stare. Pushing him aside she wandered into the shop, walked straight to his work station and made herself comfortable on his chair.

"Well, let's talk. I didn't come all this way and deal with insufferable people on the ride over here just so you can gawk at me from the doorway." she attempted to joke lightheartedly.

Nodding his head and still in slight awe he walked towards her, pulling along one of the many chair he had laying about for his clients. Settling in front of his desk next to her, he removed his glasses from his face and rested his elbow on the table. They were both silent for a while, he observing her face and soaking in every detail and she noticing all the new ink she just noticed that adorned his visage.

"I'm sorry," he started, "I'm sorry for all the things I did to you and for what I had so carelessly allowed others to do. I was cruel and inconsiderate to you..."

To say she was a bit astonished that he would immediately start off their talk that way was an understatement and she couldn't help but feel her heart twist in her chest as he apologized to her. Shutting her eyes tightly, and biting her quivering lip she replied,

"I was always so good to you... I did everything you asked of me, all those sick things and massacres you had me be a part of and I stayed by your side even after all the times you belittled and ridiculed me. Tell me why I should forgive you, Uta."

He paused for a second, mulling over his words. "Because I am more than certain that I am still in love with you and after returning home that morning and noticing that you removed all your belongings from the apartment, that and the fact that you wouldn't return any of my phone calls or texts was enough to send me into a fit of rage at first. Then after I just felt empty, I learned to cope with it but it never really went away. I know we haven't been together or even friends for the matter the past two years... but I would really like to start over if given the opportunity."

"Well Uta, it seems that you sure have matured a lot but do you really expect me to believe that you actually changed?"

"I have." His response was almost immediate, keeping eye contact with her.

"How do I know you're not lying? You are quite notorious for being a smooth talker."

"I'm telling the truth, Ophelia. I'd have no reason to lie to you, not now."

Pondering over everything he told her, confessing that he still loved her deeply shook the young woman. But she still didn't know if she could trust him, but he had sounded so sincere. Burying her face in her hands and kicking her legs out like an impatient child, Ophelia let out a long frustrated groan. Looking back up at Uta's amused face, she made up her mind. Only time could tell if this was the right choice.

"I'll give you a second chance BUT only as friends, I will be your friend and also to make Crow stop pestering me about this."

Smiling at her softly, he nodded his head in acknowledgment, "I was expecting a lot worse, but friends is a good start. Thank you."

"Yeah, well don't get too sentimental on me just yet. It's going to take a lot for you to make up for all those times you were terrible to me. Which is a lot need I remind you."

"No, you don't and I'd do anything to make up for it."

Smiling at him, she was about to open her mouth to say something when she heard her phone go off alerting her of a new message.

_Your weird little obsession is here_

_-Touka_

Eyes widening she quickly responded back and nearly knocked the chair she was sitting on over by how fast she got up. Startling Uta during the process where he stood up himself on alert. Ophelia silently cursed at herself for getting too excited. Grabbing her purse the motioned for him to follow as she walked towards the door.

"I am so sorry but I have to go, but maybe you can start making things up to me later on this week by buying me a cup of coffee?"

Feeling elated at her suggestion but remaining stoic he nodded as he accompanied her outside, "Just let me know when and where."

Flashing him a brilliant smile she held her hand out in front of him in a motion for a high-five a gesture in which he quizzically raised his brow at but still took it nonetheless. Retracting her hand, embarrassed, she turned away to start her descend back to the station. Last minute something occurred to her and she turned around and yelled out to Uta,

"Oh and by the way, I like your hair that way." The last thing she saw was a small smile on his face as he waved goodbye.

Walking away she berated herself, _A high-five? I like your hair? Ugh , I am so stupid of all things I could have totally walked away without saying anything else. Whatever. No time to dwell on this now. I need to make it to Anteiku before I miss him._

* * *

**AN: **Okay so it may have seemed she forgave Uta quite too soon, especially since they had a really rough past (more of their relationship will be revealed in later chapters :3 ) but Ophelia is a very forgiving person.

Anyways. Reviews are always welcome, they keep me going. Let me know what you think :).


	5. Monster

**AN: **Hey everyone, sorry for the wait but this chapter was a huge pain for me to write for some reason that and the fact I was super preoccupied with school and work, as well as dealing with some personal issues. Not even sure if I am completely happy with this chapter... But nonetheless I hope you all enjoy it! I wanna thank **Crayonx3**, **An Echo In Time**, **lovinurbuks, Anon, **and **Lumi Yoshinigama**. As well as a shout out to all my new followers! Enjoy the chapter and remember to review ya'll. They keep me going :p.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul nor am I claiming any rights to it. This is all the work of the beautiful mind that is Ishida Sui. I do however claim my three OCS: Ophelia, Crow and Aries._

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**Monster**

She couldn't believe her luck, she had literally just missed him. To say she was disappointed was an understatement and she tried hard to hide the crestfallen look that now adorned her face as Touka told her the disheartening news. She should have known that it seemed to good to be true that she would actually get the chance to properly meet him, if only she had been able to get there earlier. But that was expected when coming from the other side of the city. Ophelia also felt bad for cutting things short with Uta, _but that can always be made up another time, _she thought to herself.

Bringing her attention back to Touka, Ophelia looked at the younger girl, "Thanks for texting anyways. I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, yeah no problem. I only did it because Manager told me to and plus I know how creepily infatuated you are with him."

"Haha, I am not infatuated Touka-chan. I am just curious, I mean how often do you come across a halfing?" She countered though she couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed for her over-enthusiasm towards a man she hardly knew, "Touka... could you please look out for him, if you come across him again? It's not easy living in our world." Ophelia's eyes taking on a melancholy look. One that Touka was too familiar with herself.

Pondering on the thought, Touka did realize that Ophelia had a point. One-Eyed Ghouls were only myths, urban legends. To think that by a mere organ transplant a human would have the displeasure of being turned into one of them. The life of a ghoul is not an easy one, and she must admit she could have taken it easier on the newcomer. But damnit he really did annoy her, that weakling. If he expected to survive he had to man up... but then maybe that's how Touka would be able to help him by giving him a little tough love. Making up her mind she responded to Ophelia.

"tch... fine I'll look out for that baka." The warm smile that the older girl gave her was enough to not make her entirely regret her decision. It was the least she could do for her since she had always been nothing but kind to her and even to Ayato, and it really seems to mean so much to her for some unspoken reason.

"Thank you, Touka-Chan!" Wrapping her arms around Touka in a crushing hug, to which the younger returned awkwardly. That was when a thought occurred to Ophelia. Releasing Touka from her embrace she eagerly asked, "Would you... want come over? We don't have a television... but we can play a board game or something. Oh! I believe there is some left over food as well." She said enthusiastically.

Touka couldn't help but smile at the invitation. How could she deny her? She had always known that Ophelia never really had much friends, something she could never understand why since Ophelia was a pretty fun person to be around and the only ones she ever really saw Ophelia with were her cousins, and she supposed Uta would count as well for the time the two were together.

"Yeah, let's go. You don't live too far, anyways and I am a bit hungry." Touka said as she grabbed her school bag from a nearby table.

Clapping her hands together in excitement Ophelia contentedly skipped towards the exit of Anteiku. "Sweet! We can try this tempura thing I remember Shuu telling me about a while ago."

Touka made a face at hearing the Gourmet's name. "Uck, how could you stand being in the same company as that creep?"

"Oh, Shuu isn't so bad once you get to know him. He's extremely intelligent... just a bit too passionate about things."

"Sounds like someone I know." Touka snickered as they walked down the street, she was playfully shoved by Ophelia.

"Tch, please. I am not as bad as him when it comes to that sort of stuff. Besides I haven't really seen much of him lately. We sorta drifted apart, especially ever since Rize came into the 20th ward. Guess he found her company more stimulating."

"Tsukiyama is a douche, he just cares about superficial things. You're too good of a person to be surrounded by that type of trash."

"haha, arigato Touka-chan. But, I don't hold any ill feelings towards my old friend, I think as long as I always have Crow and Aries by my side I will be okay."

They walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence.

* * *

The following afternoon Ophelia spent most of her time in the comfort of her own home, sitting on the couch and sketching away in her drawing pad. In all actuality killing time before it was time for her to go meet Touka at the high school, as she promised the girl the night before. They had spent a lovely evening together with her cousins, who had miraculously been home. All dying of laughter as Crow went on and on with ridiculous tales, Aries even chuckling a few times at his brother's antics and surprisingly the tempura had turned out to be a good idea.

Overall the lot had a lot of fun, and Ophelia was happy to have been able to experience such moment with the ones she cared about. Ophelia firmly believe that though Touka appears rough around the edges, she is a sun that shines so brightly it's beauty is hard to contain. Looking to her cousins, whom sat around the chabudai drinking their cups of coffee in a peaceful manner, she cleared her throat though it seemed they either did not notice or chose to ignore it.

Again she cleared her throat. Nothing

"Hey Crow..." No response.

"CROW!"

"Yes, Ophie pie?" The male glanced up from his cup, doting eyes making contact with his adored little cousin as he gave her a comical smile.

Ophelia just glowered at him,"I talked to Uta finally."

"hmm, yes I know. The fool couldn't keep the smile from his face yesterday when he came into Itori's. So are you two back together then?"

"Eeehhh? NO, absolutely not. Give me more credit than that man, he definitely has to do some hardcore labor to even consider trying to get back together with me."

A bit startled at her reaction, Crow set his cup down on the table and held his hands up in defeat, "hai hai, little miss sourpuss no need to get all worked up."

"I am not getting worked up"

"You're face is all red." she turned her attention to Aries who was now looking up at her with his observant golden eyes. Embarrassed she covered her face with her drawing pad, earning a small snicker from the normally reserved ghoul whom sat comfortably on the floor.

At the feel of her phone vibrating next to her she looked at the screen to see a text from Touka informing her that she'd be out in about half an hour. Sending her reply, Ophelia rose from the couch and made way into her bedroom to grab her boots and black hoodie from her unkempt bed, deciding against bringing her purse with her she settled her phone and wallet in the pockets of her jeans.

"Where are you off to?" Crow inquired as she made her way out the door, her hands effortlessly tying her long locks into a high bun.

Looking over her shoulder she answered, "I'm meeting up with Touka. I'll be back later tonight, don't wait up my lovelies."

"Wasn't planning to, we're probably gonna go into Shinjuku later. Call us if anything." With that said, Ophelia made her way out into the beautiful fall weather, walking down the street towards the high school.

Upon arriving outside the gates of the school, Ophelia patiently waited for Touka to emerge from the crowd of all the students, all animatedly moving about in excitement of their release from class. She couldn't help but stare enviously at how carefree they all seemed to be. Not having to worry much about the troubles of adulthood. Though she did doubt all of them had it easy... Suddenly a familiar face appeared in front of her.

"Hey, sorry about that. I got held up talking to a friend, did you wait long?"

"Nah not at all. How was school?" she asked as they began walking towards the direction of Anteiku.

"Hm, it was pretty uneventful today. But I still enjoy it nonetheless, it gives me purpose almost and sense of normality..." Touka then went on to tell Ophelia about her classes and all the projects, tests, and homework she did. She also told her about Yoriko, Touka's best friend and all the meals she would cook for her and how it saddened her how even though she ate the food she made, it did nothing but damage her health.

Ophelia eagerly listened to every word Touka said, it fascinated her to hear all this. She was never able to go to school, she only ever had private tutors provided by her father. Since her mother died when she was young, he had become frightened of the fact of losing her as well. Though she knew her father meant well and she adored him, Ophelia couldn't help but feel a tad bit resentful for never being able to experience a real childhood. Only ever being surrounded by her own kind, she was always uncomfortable making conversations or friendships with humans she was not going to make a meal out of. Lost in the depths of her mind she hadn't even noticed when Touka stopped until she felt a hand grip her arm and pulled her back a few steps.

Giving Touka an addled look, the other girl just simply gave a slight nod of the head towards the direction she was lookng, "Look over there Ophelia you'll finally get your chance to meet your little halfing."

Her head moved so fast nearly making herself disoriented, Ophelia looked over to where Touka was gesturing to. Lo and behold there he was exiting a convenience store, bag in hand and making his way the opposite direction of them. Eyes beaming with excitement the ivory haired beauty grabbed onto Touka's arm and started pulling her the same direction as he was going.

"Let's follow him."

The two girls kept a good distance away from him, as not to immediately startle him. When suddenly he stops, and turns around but luckily being ghouls to two had sense this before he was able to spot them and hid behind nearby bushes. Ophelia began to giggle a bit, having way too much fun as Touka waved her hand in her face gesturing for Ophelia to keep her volume down. Peeking over the side, the duo notice that he began sniffing the air and then soon he began walking again, but almost in a dazed state. Intrigued now, the girls began to follow him but kept to the shadows.

They followed him into an alley but to keep themselves concealed, Touka motioned to Ophelia that they should move onto the roofs. Nodding in agreement the ghouls easily scaled up onto the nearest rooftop, able to observe clearly now. Perching herself at the edge Ophelia looked down to see that the boy had been drawn to a corpse, which was being consumed by another ghoul. She couldn't entirely tell the look on his face but by the way he collapsed on the floor she could only guess that he must have been distraught. She truly felt bad for him especially at the moment she heard a strangled cry escape his lips and could not help the frown the appeared on her lips as she heard the way the other ghoul was talking to him, though who could blame him. He did just interrupt his meal.

But then suddenly, another figure of another man appeared and within a blink of the eye and a slight "boom" he sent a kick so severe it knocked the kneeling ghoul's head right off. The moment the newcomer talked she recognized the voice immediately. It was Nishio Nishiki, the prodigy student and also a complete douche. She had a feeling this was not going to end well, especially when he started talking about his feeding ground and suddenly had the other male up against the wall by his throat. Ophelia was just about to go down and stop him, but she was halted by Touka's hand on her shoulder.

"We need to help him, Nishiki is going to kill him." Ophelia hissed.

"Just wait." Touka stated calmly. Though she was on edge, Ophelia complied with her; trusting Touka's judgment.

"I didn't know this was anyone's property! I don't have anything to do with that other ghoul!" by the strain in his voice, he was running out of air.

"Let's imagine," Nishiki began casually, "You find your lover lying naked and broken. And in the same place is a man you don't know, stripped from the waist down... and he says 'I didn't do a thing. I just happened to be here' So? Do you believe him? If it were me, I would kill the bastard."

That was when Touka decided she had heard enough, "Your feeding ground, you say? It's not yours. This is Rize's turf, Nishiki."

"Touka..." Nishiki said as he looked up and acknowledge the girl, his eyes momentarily drifting to Ophelia's but not directing her in any way. She decided to stay put as Touka dropped down to the alley floor as Nishiki continued, "Did you know? That voracious-eater woman died."

"So that means this is your place now? Don't be stupid. Management of the 20th ward is our job on the stability team."

"WHAT? The stability team? That spineless, timid lot has no right to complain. This was originally my feeding ground, until Rize came along. If she's dead, then it's mine now! Isn't that right?!"

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Touka had enough, "The feeding grounds Rize took over will be divided among the weaker ghouls. And besides, this tiny back alley was stolen from you because Rize was the stronger one. If you want to blame something, blame your own weakness, idiot!" She taunted the older male. Ophelia was still spectating from above, noticing how Touka was now in control of the situation, yet she was patiently biding her time to come in when need be.

"Being treated like a fool by an upstart, impertinent brat... really pisses me off..."

That was when Touka made her move and wheb Ophelia dropped to the ground gracefully and quickly make her way to the rattled young man who was frozen to the spot on the filthy alley floor. He was in such a trance at what was unfolding in-front of him, he failed to notice Ophelia come up next to him. She could practically feel his nerves jumping off the walls.

"SHUT. YOUR. MOUTH!" she heard Nishiki scream as Touka must have said another smart remark to provoke him, one of which Ophelia had failed to notice. She had been momentarily in awe of finally being so close to him. As she looked up she noticed Touka had made a counter attack to Nishiki's.

"Tch. Nothing but shallow wounds." He goaded too soon, as his cuts simultaneously deepened.

"Should I cut deeper next time?"

"You damn woman!" Sensing his defeat Nishiki ran off leaving the three alone. Ophelia couldn't contain the small snicker that escaped her lips as she watched him run away like a beaten dog, and Touka breathing heavily just a few feet away watching as well.

"What is this? Just what are ghouls?" Both of the girls looked to the frazzled boy who was out of his shocked daze and now speaking. "They kill people, and have no connection to their fellow ghouls... This kind of world is the worst!"

Ophelia was a tad taken back by his outburst, but she tried to put herself in his situation. Though failing miserably at it... being a ghoul she was used to this type of life. Yes, she can agree that it can be brutal but not particularly the worst.

"The way I see things, this meat is still uneaten." Touka states matter of factly.

"_Touka_." There was an edge to Ophelia's voice, warning the younger ghoul to watch herself.

"AS IF I COULD EAT IT! I'm done with all that, I'm through!"

Looking down at him Touka responded, "You're a fool. We should just give up already... But if you do not have the courage to eat it... I'll help you." At that Touka grabbed the severed hand and violently shoved it down the boy's throat, nearly making him choke upon it.

"Touka, that is not the way to handle things." Ophelia reprimanded, at this rate the boy will never trust them.

"What? This idiot will not learn until someone forces it upon him and hey guess what else Ophelia? He'll die too if he doesn't feed."

Ophelia was just about to respond until the both of them heard gagging, looking down they saw him retract his fingers from his mouth. He had forced himself to regurgitate. Ophelia couldn't suppress the annoyed sigh that escaped from her mouth, she had wanted to go through things in a calm and fluid manner but this whole night turned out to be one big shit storm.

"What's wrong? _Eat._" She was surprised to hear a soft tone in Touka's voice.

"... Why? Why am I doing this? I... I was wrong to eat that meat after all... That was what I thought and I looked desperately for another way. Even so... this is not what I want. This is not the way! H-human meat... there is no way I can eat it! How could I possibly eat it. Because I'm human. I'M DIFFERENT FROM YOU MONSTERS!"

The hate and disgust that had filled his voice right then had shaken Ophelia to the core. The comment he made about them being monsters... it hurt, feeling a sharp jab in her chest. He didn't know them. Nor did he know the lives they led, their hopes and dreams. Their hobbies or families. He had no idea. Yes, she knew that there are ghouls who are terrible, terrible beings but there are also humans that are just as despicable. But not all humans are cruel creatures and that goes the same for ghouls. At that moment, Ophelia was angry and she did nothing to stop Touka as she beat him senseless into the ground, she only watched.

"Well, aren't you awfully fucking noble... it's true though, you're no ghoul. But... you're not human either. As someone who can't be called one or the other, there's nowhere you belong. If you want to keep putting on human airs, go ahead and try bringing yourself to the edge of starvation and I'm telling you now, the hunger of a ghoul... is literally hell." With one last look of disgust, Touka stalked off. Leaving the boy in a heap of his own despair.

Ophelia just stood there, staring down upon him. Stepping closer to his beatened body until her boot covered feet reached his direct line of sight, to which was when he finally looked up at her.

Kaneki couldn't help but think he was looking at an angel for a second... her snowy curls which were currently pulled away from her face allowed him to take in every detail of her proportioned features, green eyes, and skin that reminded him of rich caramel... even in this poor lighting she was a sight to behold. But as she stood before him with her arms hugging her figure the look she gave him was one of hurt, anger, and was that concern?

"I'm not a monster." Her voice was soft and alluring, but strong and the anger hidden beneath her tone was enough to send chills up his spine. Before he even had time to react, she turned on her heel and marched out of the alley to join her companion. He was left alone with his thoughts, spilled cans of coffee, and two bloody corpses.

* * *

**AN: **again hope this was to your liking. I'll try to update as soon as I can.


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