Now then, here's the next part of this story. I haven't been updating in… almost a month by now. Huh. I know that I should probably be updating my other story first, but I want to get all the boring stuff in this story out of the way before I return to the other one. I'll be alternating stories after this chapter and I hope to update once every two weeks. Welp. Let's see how that goes.

Flo463: Thanks!

Zoepeanut: :)

Now then. Read, review and tell me if you like the story. I appreciate all criticism.

Kirigaya Suguha thought she was going to die.

She knew, instinctively that the last sight she was going to see would be her not-brother stabbing an odd sword at her, aiming for her eye. She knew that his mismatched set of eyes would be permanently etched in her mind.

So when all she felt was a slight stab of pain along her temple, she opened her eyes to see exactly why Kazuto(?) hadn't finished her off. To her surprise and concern, it looked like it had been him that had deflected the blade before it could create a fatal wound. With his own hand. He was staring at the hand with a twisted look in his eyes(which she noted had become monochromatic again) and the blood dripping onto her clothes. Slowly shifting the hand(she grimaced when the flesh tore apart as he removed it from the weapon), he pulled it from it's position in one swift movement.

As he seemed distracted, Suguha decided that it would be best for her to escape. She wouldn't get a second chance. Not bothering to go for the discarded sword(it was currently impaled in a wall), she lashed out with a fist at his face. The impact caused his head to jerk back and momentarily stunned him. Suguha promptly cursed as she tried to run away. Her hand throbbed and she was quite certain she had sprained something. As she made it to the door, Suguha cast a glance backward at where she had last seen Kazuto(?). Only, he wasn't there. He had somehow kept up with her quick movements and kept quiet enough so that she couldn't hear her movements. A hand closed around her wrist and stopped her in her tracks. Straining frantically as panic set in(yet again), she knew that she wouldn't be able to escape the monster's grasp without any form of self-inflicted harm. Her gaze snapped to his eyes and the emotions in them caused her to pause in her movements.

They weren't empty of life like how they had been when he was gazing into space nor the ones filled with a maniacal gleam that caused her instincts to scream at her to run. Right now, they shone with remorse and… was that fear? When she started to relax, Kazuto(?) gave her an apologetic look before removing his hand. She was caught in a precarious situation. Every fiber of her being concerned with self-preservation was currently causing alarms to ring in her head, but a small part of her brain told her to stop and obtain an explanation. Any remaining form of tension slowly ebbed out of her body and she cast a questioning look at the man in front of her. While it was true that his initial reflex to seeing her expose one of his (not so well-kept)secrets was to overpower and kill her, his actions afterwards implied that something was not right. He had also come out of the encounter worse off(she grimaced when she remembered how his hand looked like torn apart).

Seeing that she was going to listen to him, Kaneki immediately bowed his head as a form of apology.

"I'm sorry for trying to kill you and actually harming you. I shouldn't have done that."

"While it isn't alright that you tried to kill me, you stopped yourself. So, am I going to get some answers out of this or am I supposed to report you to the police?" Kaneki flinched at that one.

"Well… I was hoping to keep this from you and the rest of the family, I guess that it would be better to have at least one person who knows what I am."

Suguha gave him a curious look. In response, Kaneki raised his currently mutilated hand and concentrated. The familiar itching he associated with his kakugan showing occurred, along with the feeling of flesh and bone stitching itself back together. As the wound in his hand healed in a matter of seconds, he smirked inwardly at the almost childlike look of wonder on his sister's face.

"When I was fifteen, I went on a date with a purple-haired lady who I had secretly been crushing on for quite some time. To my horror, she revealed herself to be a ghoul." Kaneki paused to check that his words were registering with Suguha, before continuing with his story.

"See, she was going to eat me. She ended up impaling me through the kidney and I was going to die. However, when she closed in for the kill, steel beams fell on her. They crushed her and I was left lying on the ground not too far away, bleeding out. I thought I was going to die." Kaneki stopped to catch his breath, the memories playing out in his head in cinematic sequence.

"I woke up to find out that her kidney had been implanted in me to save my life. What I didn't know, however, was that my doctor had secretly implanted her kakuhou in me as well. In case you want to know, a kakuhou is the predatory organ of a ghoul." at this point, Suguha's eyes lit up with understanding.

"That means…"

"Yes."

Suguha was conflicted. On one hand, it would explain why Kazuto had come in possession of that sword and his weird regenerative abilities. On the other hand, however, it didn't explain his… other changes. When she tried to voice her questions, Kazuto shook his head before they could even leave her mouth, smiling sadly as he looked down on his hands.

"Some things are best kept secret. Let's just say that what I've been through… it was like fighting a war."

Feeling confused at the peculiar phrasing of his words, Suguha sighed, knowing that he didn't want to divulge more than what he had already shared with her.

"I understand."

"Good. Make sure to keep this a secret."

After the rather curt dismissal of her, her brother stood up, brushing off imaginary dust before moving to return to the couch he had been dozing on(also making sure to shove his quinque back into his briefcase). However, before he could lie down on the couch, Kaneki felt his sister's(cousin's) hand wrap around his wrist, just like how he had gripped her previously. Looking back curiously, Kaneki tilted his head at the abashed look on Suguha's face as she had an internal debate on whether to follow through with her original idea.

"You can share my bed. You don't seem rather comfortable on the couch and my bed's large enough for two people." Kaneki's thought processes screeched to a halt at her words. Despite himself, he felt the warmth of a blush coating his face as the more… dirty implications of his sister's words flooded through his head. Shaking it slightly to banish the images, he nodded slightly, hoping that the darkness had been enough to hide his embarrassment(it hadn't been. Suguha had also registered the reason why).

The siblings moved quietly, quickly reaching her room without their parents waking up. Awkwardly, both clambered into the bed(still trying to be silent) and shifted around, trying to reach a position that would not be too...intimate. As they both nestled in their respective places on the bed(they were facing back-to-back), Kaneki began to mentally recount the events of the evening.

He had been stuck in one of his nightmares again, revisiting the time he had spent with Jason, or rather, Yamori. With the recent demise of his friends(family), gruesome scenes had begun playing out in his head(again). When he had woken up after Jason had stabbed another needle into his eye, it was to his sister discovering his quinque. Still trying to shake off the effects of the nightmare, his body had reacted on instinct, registering her as an enemy to be killed.

It went to show how deep his mental scars were. To wake up and immediately try to kill whoever had been unlucky enough to be near him… Kaneki chuckled cynically, feeling the presences in his mind doing so as well. Closing his eyes, he tried to drift back to sleep, hoping against hope that no night terrors would haunt him this time.

Just before he dozed off, he noted absentmindedly how warm his sister felt.

Time skip

As the shrill ringing of an alarm clock broke the silence, Kaneki's eyes fluttered open lazily. Stretching a little(he was still half-asleep), he groaned. Curling up slightly, trying to enjoy the warmth of the bed he was sleeping on(when was the last time he had a bed?), he noticed a weight pressing down on him. Muttering slightly, he tried to pry the weight away from him, only for it to cling on tighter. Finally opening his eyes fully, he turned his head to try and figure out what the presence was…

Only to be met by the sleeping visage of his sister. Slowly looking down, he saw that her hands were currently wrapped around his waist and he was being treated like an oversized toy. Panicking slightly, he tried to wriggle out of the iron grasp without waking his sister up(he could easily do it with his strength, but that was a little...brutal), only to find that her grip increased with every little movement he made. Sighing softly in frustration, he slumped, defeated for the time being. Wondering why the alarm clock hadn't woken Suguha up(she wasn't a heavy sleeper, last time he checked), he closed his eyes again, trying to enjoy the warmth she radiated while it lasted. It was rare that the former One-Eyed King had any time to rest. Every day had been a constant fight for survival, the load on his shoulders increasing with every ghoul lost, yet having to shrug them off and continue his onslaught on the CCG, blinded by his revenge.

So many lives had been pointlessly lost.

So, being able to just relax in a warm bed without a care in the world was one of the best days he had ever since he had became a half-ghoul.

There was no way this could go wrong right?

Right?

"Suguha, wake up! It's time for you to prepare to go to school, why are you still…" the slightly frustrated sound of Kirigaya Midori shattered any illusions he had of "nothing going wrong" as his mom(aunt) opened the door to the room they were currently in, stopping in her tracks when she took in the sight before her. Mother and son were locked in an awkward stare as the two currently awake individuals were trying their best to figure out what to say and do. As the awkward silence progressed, Kaneki opened his mouth in a half-hearted attempt to defuse the situation.

"This isn't what it looks like?" any further attempt to defend himself was stopped when Suguha finally stirred and woke up. Finally letting go of Kaneki(and causing him to fall off the bed), she rubbed her eyes groggily while looking at her mom. Then her brother. As her brain finally booted up and she began to process the situation, Suguha's face started turning a deep crimson. As her now amused mother walked out of the room, Suguha met the gaze of her brother. Seeing the sheepish look on his face, she finally reacted.

A scream pierced through the air as Kaneki flew out of the room, slamming into a wall(which conveniently stopped him from continuing on his path). Kirigaya Midori looked back and started chuckling at the deadpan look on his face before leaving him crumpled on the floor.

It was good to have him back.

That's the end of this chapter. I'm trying a different approach in this one, going to build up his relationship with Suguha before tossing him into SAO. Anyways, could you guys provide some suggestions for me? Should I toss him into the beta, then SAO, or make him a "noob"? Let me know! See ya guys… 2 weeks from now I hope.