NeonHorizon: I decided to write two Tokyo Ghoul fanfics. This is the light-hearted one featuring OC Kuroda Ume (age 19). Enjoy.

Her stomach growled, but it was no big deal. It never really was. She was used to feeling hungry. Her parents always said she was a reluctant eater. Ume packed up her supplies, casting a final glance at the board at the front of the classroom. The assignment had been written down, a reminder set on her phone to make sure it was completed by the next class.

A farewell wave was directed at the two classmates she was closest with. Tanaka and Morinaga waved back, knowing she was in a rush. Ume left the classroom with a certain spring in her step as she looked forward to work. Going to work meant being around her own kind. In addition to this was the promise of food.

It was fine for her to be around humans. They made her anxious, particularly boys, but she found them interesting. Ume liked to watch them and study their habits. What they ate, what they drank, what they did on a regular basis. All of these things were intriguing because they differed from a ghoul's tendencies, yet had a basic similarity.

"Glad to be back, Kuroda-chan?"

The voice startled her as she was finishing changing into her uniform at the café. Ume glanced over her shoulder and color rushed to her cheeks. "Ah. Y-yeah. I've been looking forward to coming back to work for a while."

Irimi smiled faintly and helped her tie her coppery shoulder-length hair back in a ponytail. "There we go. So classes have gotten better?"

"Yeah. Um…well a counselor recommended some classes to switch to. I really don't think that the program I was in would've worked out." It was embarrassing. Ume had been working at Anteiku since she was fourteen. When she began classes at Kamii University, she quickly became overwhelmed. The breakdown she had in the back room was a mess to say the least.

The two female ghouls started back to the front of the café, the older one leading. "So which program did you decide to switch to?"

"Ah…literature."

"Hey! Ume, come here! You have to meet someone," Touka called from near a table. She greeted Ume with a half-grin.

Her pale green eyes widened and blood quickly heated her cheeks. A boy? Why is there a boy here…wearing the waiter's uniform? Does he work here? When did Yoshimura-san hire a boy my age though? I thought there was just Koma-san. She cautiously approached the table, her heart beating fast. There were two things that Ume simply could not handle; hunting for prey and facing men. While he seemed to not carry a male scent, his outward appearance made her incredibly wary. "H-hello."

The boy had short dark hair and one dark, visible eye. His left eye was hidden beneath a white medical patch, bringing a curious frown to the girl's face. "Hello," he greeted her.

"Ume, this is Kaneki. Kaneki, this is Kuroda Ume," Touka introduced them. "Kaneki just started working here a little while ago. Ume used to work here, but she had to stop because…"

"Ah. My classes got in the way," Ume supplied. She bowed, a few coppery locks of hair springing free from her ponytail and hanging to either side of her face. "I-it's nice to meet you, Kaneki-san."

"N-nice to meet you, Kuroda-san." He bowed as well, looking a bit nervous.

As she straightened, she let her eyes linger for a moment. He's…pretty thin. Like he doesn't eat. He doesn't look very old either. Is he like me? Did he come from a different ward because it's safer here? She nervously smoothed her apron and shifted her gaze away.

Throughout most of her shift, she found her attention being drawn back to him. The boy seemed a little anxious and was still learning how things were done, but his anxiety seemed to stem from something else. She stood behind the counter, watching him serve cups of coffee to a table of customers, and frowned to herself. Ume found herself staring at him, trying to pinpoint what exactly Kaneki was. He looked like a boy, but smelled like a female ghoul. He wore an eyepatch. He appeared nervous when dealing with ghouls. The scent that he gave off was not entirely like a ghoul's scent. So what is Kaneki?

Touka, seeing where Ume stared, came to stand beside her. "What? Is he your type?" she teased.

Ume blushed pink and shook her head vehemently. "I-I'm not…ch-checking him out or anything! You know how I am around b-boys! I just…can't tell what Kaneki is."

The other girl raised both eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lowering her voice, she reluctantly voiced her inquiries. "I-I mean is Kaneki a boy? Is Kaneki actually a girl? But Kaneki looks like a boy. And smells like a ghoul, but a girl ghoul! And also has another smell that isn't a ghoul smell! What is Kaneki?"

"Pfft! Seriously? That's what you were getting so worked up about? You could just ask him."

"I-I can't just ask him!" she protested.

"Hey, Kaneki! Ume has a question!"

"Wh-what?" He nearly spilled coffee all over the customers at the table and profusely apologized. "Um…I'll be right there."

"Wait! Touka, why did you-?!" Ume turned to snap at her friend, but the girl was already walking away. Why did she have to do that?! I can't talk to boys! She knows I can't talk to boys! I can't even talk to Koma-san or Yoshimura-san! The girl bowed her head as Kaneki approached, trying to hide her blush.

She frowned and anxiously fidgeted with the red butterfly ring on her right index finger. Her mind raced with any number of questions she could ask him that were not related to his actual gender and whether or not he was a ghoul. When he was standing on the other side of the counter with a questioning look on his face, she could feel her blush intensify. "Um…I just…I was wondering…wh-what you are."

His eyes widened marginally. "Wh-what?"

"I'm sorry! That probably sounded rude and-!"

"N-no, I just…don't actually know how to answer that right now."

"She wants to know if you're a boy or a girl," Touka interrupted.

Instantly, the boy's face turned pink. "Wait…what?"

"Y-you smell like…a girl ghoul…so…" Ume made certain to mutter this under her breath. Even if every customer in Anteiku at that moment was a ghoul, it was better not to risk it.

From the look on his face, no one had ever asked Kaneki his gender before. It was not a look of offense, but rather a look of shock. "I-I'm a boy."

Shift P.O.V

He saw her face turning red as she mumbled something, but he did not catch what she said this time. Do I really smell that much like a female ghoul? The thought had not really occurred to him before; most people he encountered could immediately decide that he was male due to his appearance. As he started to wonder about her eyesight, he caught a delicious scent waft from the pocket of her apron. A scent so amazing that his mouth started to water a little.

The redhead was drawing something from her pocket that he could pinpoint as the source. It was small and had the appearance of a peach-flavored gummy bear. Though the scent was that of meat. She nervously chewed on it and kept her green eyes averted as she did so. "Sorry…that was a weird thing to ask, wasn't it?"

"No, I'm just…not used to it," he admitted. Since his accident, he had met a number of ghouls and gradually learned that they varied in appearance as greatly as humans did. This one was strange though. He had yet to meet one that was as nervous as he was. "What is that?"

She froze as she was pulling forth another and her expression became a sheepish sort of smile. "Do you…want one?"

"Better take one, Kaneki. Plenty of guys would kill to taste Ume's cooking."

Cooking? He accepted one from her and used all of his willpower to not devour it right away. Holding it up in the light, he inspected the piece of food. It was squishy like a gummy bear and even had the exact shape of one. Of course, he knew this was most certainly not a gummy bear. Is it something that I can eat? It doesn't really have the smell that a corpse has. He put it into his mouth and hesitantly chewed.

The taste was like nothing he had experienced before. Closing his eyes, he savored the meaty flavor of the 'candy' and tried to determine exactly what it reminded him of. When it was gone, he felt a little sad. While it had tasted very good, it had also increased his appetite. "Kuroda-san, you made this?"

She nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "I-I like to experiment with making my food…look like human food. S-so I can eat with friends at the university."

"She's a great cook, right?" Touka asked, smirking.

Kaneki saw Ume blush and glance his way. Does she make other stuff besides these candies? He was hesitant to ask. In his experience, most ghouls did not like to share their food. The fact that this girl was giving him at least one little piece made him both amazed and grateful. He decided to change the subject. If she offered him more, that would be her choice. "So you're in college?"

"Y-yeah. I just changed to the…l-literature program…at Kamii University."

"R-really?! I go there, too!"

"Kuroda-chan, can you grab a few more bags of coffee beans from the back?" Irimi asked, putting the conversation to a halt.

"Ah! Y-yes, I'm on it!" Ume turned to Kaneki with a small bow. "Sorry…um…I-I'll be back soon so we can continue this."

He watched her go into the back room, feeling Touka's eyes on him and knowing she wore a look of amusement. She's kind of cute, he thought as he turned away from the back room. His stomach growled as he remembered the taste of the 'candy' she had given him.

"You think she's cute, right? She's pretty popular with the male customers."

"I-I guess she's…kind of cute," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. When he saw the copper-haired girl reemerge from the back room, she was effortlessly carrying several heavy bags of coffee beans. Their eyes met for a moment and both blushed faintly. "She seems nice," the boy muttered. "She seems really nice."