Too Sweet to Eat [Female! Kaneki Ken x Tsukiyama Shuu]

9

~from Tsukiyama's POV~
The door swung outward on silent, well-oiled hinges, and I looked up, expecting to see Kanae, but instead, I was greeted directly with my dear Miss Kaneki.
A gentleman should never stare, but I simply could not resist myself; not only was my dear Miss Kaneki clad in a dress of my own selection, a dress that accented her subtle figure, but she was also freshly showered, and her long, damp hair fell around her angular face like a curtain of shadows, in contrast with her exceedingly pale yet fine skin.
Slightly ashamed that I'd been caught off guard, I cleared my throat and gave her a warm, if not alluring, smile. "My dear Miss Kaneki," I greeted, forcibly maintaining a semblance of the gracious host Miss Kaneki believed me to be, when all the while, I was entertaining illusions of devouring her whole and drinking her sweet blood out of my own personal Holy Grail.
She nodded, and I immediately sensed her discomfort at the unexpected formality that dinner had brought forth. It seemed that she was not used to wearing such fine clothing or attending elaborate meals.
Inside, I grinned. I'm glad...I want for no other man to ever see my sweet little prey looking so delicious...
Although I savored her discomfort, I sensed that setting her at ease would be more presently rewarding. "Please," I said kindly, gesturing to the only other chair, which was seated across the table from myself. "Have a seat."
She hesitated before smoothly slipping into the seat, appearing every bit as a frail sparrow.
Alas, I shall be the one to break your wings...
For some reason, the thought did not incite as much excitement in me as it should have. I'll ponder that later. For now...
"I trust you found everything up to your standards?" I asked, a subtle smile on my face. Not enough to make her feel as though she were being harshly illuminated, the unwanted center of attention, but enough to show her that she was special enough to deserve my full attention.
"Certainly," she said, her voice soft but just audible enough to carry across the room. For a moment, I wished that she was sitting next to me instead of ten feet away...but it's probably better this way. It's easier to restrain myself from afar...I cannot let all of my efforts - every calculated gesture and planned glance - go to waste. "Your house. It's all very...beautiful."
I nodded politely, leaning back in my chair and swishing my glass of wine gently. "To be honest, it's not quite mine, or at least, not yet. My father owns this mansion, built with the wealth of his corporation." I made eye contact with Miss Kaneki, trying to make myself appear distanced from my family's background in order to show my individual strength. "I just live here, on occasion."
She looked down at her plate, which was covered by a service plate cover (). "Do I...do I want to know what's inside?" she asked softly, looking up briefly at me.
Sighing, I set down the glass of wine. Drinking it wouldn't fill my hunger, anyway. It was merely for show, just like the rest of my actions, glances, smiles... "If you're hungry, you do."
She hesitated. "Hungry...for what?"
I just stared at her, letting the smile drop from my face. Now I wasn't frowning, but rather maintaining a serious look. Women love to be taken seriously, to have one's full attention, as if their word could somehow influence one's decision or thought... "You found the note, correct? In the flowers?"
If possible, she paled further, quickly validating my question beyond a doubt. "I...I don't-"
"You, my dear Miss Kaneki, are a one-eyed ghoul," I clearly stated, keeping my tone steady even as my blood boiled with hunger, the memory of the scent of her blood filling my nose. She said nothing, but her eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "I'm assuming that you're wondering how I know, or perhaps when I found out...Well, how to put this...I knew you were a ghoul from the moment I met you. I only found out how very special you are earlier today."
She pressed her lips together, clearly sealing herself to silence in her own defense, and I continued, casually going about my business as I placed my napkin in my lap. "I'm sure you're also wondering why I've taken an interest in you, despite knowing what you are..." Finally, I looked up, waiting until she looked up as well, and our eyes met. "And that, my dear Miss Kaneki, is because I know who you are as well."
She frowned slightly. "Who am I then? You're not the only person to recognize me by name."
"Two words connection by birth and blood do not make up who one is, Miss Kaneki," I said, still unable to let go of her eyes. "Yes, to the world, you are Kaneki Ken, but to me, you're a young woman who speaks too quietly for the world to hear you. You enjoy literature precisely because you get to hear the words of the unheard voices - people like yourself, who you can relate to. You are afraid to speak up, to appreciate your own value, and yet when someone else sees in you what you deny your own eyes, you push them away, afraid to trust, afraid to open yourself up to the world that has forever ignored you. Yet despite these things, there is a gentleness, a kindness in you...while you are afraid of the world, you are also afraid for the world. You'd rather suffer alone than force pain into the lives of those around you. That's who you are, my dear Miss Kaneki," I said, my words soft to match her own, and I found it strange how easily they flowed from my tongue, not because they had been rehearsed or because I'd used the same words on countless other woman, but because I'd come to see Kaneki Ken through her eyes, because I'd come to stop seeing her as just a pawn. No, she was no pawn. She was the queen. "That's who you are, and that's how I see you."
She was silent, but after a long moment, she opened her mouth-
I laughed awkwardly. Awkward? Me? No! Such a thing is not possible! I am graceful, sophisticated, cultured...Not some awkward child! Why is this happening to me? "Pardon me. I seem to have said to much. I believe I've gone and ruined the dining mood," I apologized politely.
She looked as though she were about to say something, though indecisive, when the door opened, revealing Kanae, his facial muscles taut.
"I must have a word, Master Shuu," he said, eyeing me directly and not even bothering to glance at my guest.
I pursed my lips. "Can't it wait, Kanae?"
Kanae gave a curt shake of his head. "No, Master. It must be attended to this very moment."
With a sigh, I started to get up, already making fluent apologizes to my guest, but she stood up before I could.
"Sorry to be in the way. I'll leave you to your business," she said softly before slipping out of the dining room.
I began to ask her to wait, but Kanae glared at me, stealing my attention for the moment as Miss Kaneki increased the distance between us, most likely heading back to her room.
I turned, facing Kanae, and frowned. "Interrupting a private dinner...not tasteful at all. This is important, I assume?
Kanae nodded sharply. "Master Shuu..."