For When Your Heart is Broken

3: Comfort

A gentle hand patted at the half Ghoul's arm, and he snapped into consciousness.
"Wah-!?"
"Hey. You should be going now, Onii-chan." Hinami told him.
"I know..." he mumbled.
"They'll be here if you need them." She said, "He didn't want you to read them all at once." She added with a sad smile.
"One more?"
"Alright, but then you have to go back to the upper levels."

He nodded, then payed attention to his hands and realised that he had fallen asleep with the letter on him, clutching the pendants.
His hand was aching from the grip he had held.

"I'm taking this." He told her.
She gave no objection, having noted that his tone was somewhat terrifying. "Okay," She said passively, "...just don't lose it."
"I'm not going to."

He looked at more of the covers, trying to decide on what exactly had a decent one to three word description of how he was feeling.
For when you need comfort:

...

My Darling Kaneki,

I'm so sorry that I cannot be there personally to help make you feel better.
Try to forgive me for this later on.
I had not the courage.
I had not the strength.
You are not me, however.
Despite your pitiful height-

Kaneki laughed painfully.

-You are much more of a man than I will ever be.
Do not be discouraged.
I am aware of the difference between physical and emotional pain, believe me. I can personally vouch that I would rather eat my own arm off-

Kaneki laughed again. It hurt.
It hurt really bad.
He didn't care that he probably looked like a psychopath, laughing then crying on and off like this.
He'd been more psychotic in the past.
Much more.
He read on:

-than to hurt with the longing I've been avoiding.

I still haven't faced it, even today.
That makes me a coward.

In whatever situation you may find yourself in, you always manage to outsmart your opponent. You outsmart yourself, even.
Being so callous on the outside leads to a great depth of sensitivity to the feelings. This I can also confirm from experience.
You are fragile in this sense.
But that is part of what makes you strong.
You can withstand your emotions, even when they get difficult.
Not every battle should be won, however. You still need to learn this.

You are not a coward, My Love.
You can stare straight at your fears.

You can overcome any obstacles that come between you and your goals. Of this I am certain.
Please, don't allow your current issues to come between you and what you wish to accomplish.
You've come too far for that.
On another note:
It's okay to ask for a hug from someone, you know?
Sometimes you need it.

Platonic affection is far more important than the physical aspects of a relationship, after all. Just because you lost your virginity doesn't mean you should rely on that to fill the void.
It won't help.
That is a fact.
I will discuss it no further.

Don't hide from your feelings.
Can you promise me that? -

Kaneki gave a weak whisper: "I... pro...mise..."

-I may not ever be sure of your response, but it comforts me to have written that. I have confidence that you will, whether or not you verbalize it.
You're still that delicate Kaneki-kun that the Gourmet me met for the first time.
I can still remember the expression you regarded me with.
Despite my deception, I really did enjoy your company.

Please, don't ever lose your smile.
Even if I will never see it again.

Hold on, Love.
You'll make it through.

- S. Tsukiyama

...

A choked sound left him, his shoulders shaking with sobs he could no longer make.
"Come on, Onii-chan."
He nodded wordlessly, allowing her to take the letters from him and place them back in the box. She also took the crochet Tsukiyama had made as a child, but left him with the charms like he'd wanted.