CHAPTER 20:

WAKING THE OWL

Eto ambled down the streets of Tokyo with a spring in her step. They'd had a fun time on their date yesterday, and while they hadn't gone as far as sleeping with each other onwards, they'd gone onto some heavy petting. However, Harry opted to head back to the Chateau today, and Eto was in a good mood. So much so, when she heard the voice of a man she hated after she passed him, her good mood was only slightly spoiled.

"Is it really you?"

Eto turned around to face the lined face of her father, Kuzen Yoshimura. "Who did you think it was, otooou-san?" she crooned sardonically(1). "You're quite a way away from your little coffee shop, aren't you?"

"I had an errand I needed to deal with," Kuzen said. "Well, less an errand and more of an obligation, to your mother. To lay flowers on her grave. I had just come back from there."

Eto fought down a flash of anger. It was a mite hypocritical of the murderer to lay flowers on the grave of the woman he killed, even if he had little choice. Instead, she remarked, a little acidly, "How kind of you."

"…Would you care to have some coffee?" he asked.

The suddenness of the question cut through Eto, and eventually, albeit a little reluctantly, she nodded…

They were soon sitting in a park, with cups of barista-brewed coffee from a nearby coffee stall. Said coffee stall was nonetheless one of the better ones in Tokyo, and was thus frequented by Ghouls who didn't go to a café like Anteiku. She'd brought out and activated an artifact similar to the one the Reaper used that night, having bought a supply for herself, ensuring that they wouldn't be overheard. "I'm surprised you assented to this," Kuzen said.

"I'm sure you are, father. I hate you, I despise you. But…I'm in a pretty good mood, and I won't say no to free coffee," Eto said, sipping from her own, with milk and sugar, two things that she knew Kuzen couldn't have. It was her way of taunting him. Petty, but she couldn't help herself. "Besides…your main sin was weakness, weakness to your paymasters in V, and their leash-holders in the Washuu."

"I see. So why have you decided to talk to me? We have seen each other since I left you with Noroi, but never truly interacting. And yet…now, you decided to speak with me?"

Eto shrugged. "Like I said, I'm in a pretty good mood. My boyfriend's back in Japan."

"…Yes, I've heard. You've been seen with the adopted brother of Kishou Arima. Harry Arima. So…does he know about you?"

"Both Arimas know about me. Let's just say that the Reaper despises the Washuu, and has good cause to. I also noticed you trying to divert attention away from me with your own antics, warping your kakuja to match mine. Is it love or guilt that drives you to do that?"

"Both," the old man admitted.

Eto scoffed. "…I don't love you. I despise you. The only goodwill I have towards you is that you at least left me with Noroi than throwing me to the wolves. That, and, well, you're trying to do something with Anteiku."

Kuzen nodded solemnly. "…Is it too late to ask that you give up on Aogiri Tree and come back?"

Once more, Eto scoffed. "Of course it is. I know what you want to be, father. A tame Ghoul, pretending to be human, not trying to change the status quo. You want to forget when you were a vicious monster, first wild and untamed, and then straining at V's leash. Now…I may be more careful these days, and I'm not going to do some stupid Ghoul equivalent of a Neo-Nazi thing, or turning humans into mere cattle. My concern is with dealing with V, and with the Washuu, and then, I will ensure we have some hope for change, for the better. Because nothing will change for the better with the Washuu pulling the strings of the CCG."

"I see. I cannot condone your path of violence, Eto. But I won't change your mind. I know it's an exercise in futility. You're very much like your mother. Stubborn. Tenacious. Determined."

Eto took the compliment for what it was. "I know. But…to use an analogy from folklore…I intend to be a sword of Masamune, not Muramasa."

"I see. A blade that only cuts when necessary, rather than a bloodthirsty one. Then I pray your boyfriend keeps you on your path, Eto. However, if I may ask a favour…"

"Don't expect me to keep it, old man. If you're concerned about your little coffee shop, I won't get it involved in any spats between me and the CCG. Even if I hate your guts, I understand what you're trying to do, to protect other Ghouls, to try and get them to redeem themselves. I heard about your success stories with the Black Dobers and the Apes. Too much conflict, after all, only draws the CCG down on us."

"You view it in pragmatic terms, which I suppose is better than nothing."

Eto scoffed. "Father, I know the value of a human life, far more than most humans do, let alone most Ghouls. I may feed off humans, I may view most with contempt, but I know what I am taking from them. I've heard through other sources your little spiel about how life is evil, because it takes life all the time to survive. Blame God, or the forces of evolution, or just how fucked up the universe seems to be. You may have given me a life, but you never gave me hope for the future. Harry did that. Otherwise, I would be a nihilistic mess. I owe him my friendship, my devotion, and my heart. He is my Ukina, Father. Only, I won't be sacrificing him."

"I see. I am glad you have found someone to share your life with, Eto. Someone who will keep you from falling into the abyss. You deserve happiness. Still…should I have to give him the shovel speech?"

Eto snorted. "I'd do it for you. A shallow grave if he ever hurts me…well, a cesspit after I eat him and crap him out. Incidentally…I need to warn you about something. Someone has discovered a way to successfully create artificial Ghoul hybrids. And the CCG have been considering such things for a long time. The hybridisation process is…shall we say not exactly scientific?"

"You mean magical. I am aware, albeit distantly, of your boyfriend's abilities, and the existence of wizards. I have a few contacts in that world. So, the wizards have found a means to create artificial hybrids? It's not the first time they have tried, from what little I have heard. So, they succeeded?"

"Harry was the one they did it to. Thankfully, like me, he retains the ability to eat normal food, and the CCG have a protocol in place for such things. Of course, whether he's accepted there by everyone else…plus, the Washuu will use this as leverage."

"Hmm. How is he coping?"

"Better than you'd think. What he went through, as a Scrapper before the Reaper found him, twisted him out of shape. He had surprising empathy for Ghouls before this happened. In fact…I think he may just be what this fucked-up world needs. That being said...he's got a lot of enemies. Have you ever heard of Voldemort?"

"Yes…a warlock of no small reputation as a magical terrorist in Britain, one who allegedly died years ago."

"Yeah, well, it didn't stick, and he's got a bunch of magical Neo-Nazis at his beck and call. They were the ones to dope Harry with some sort of hybridisation potion. And while I like that my dear little Mini-Reaper is now a One-Eyed Ghoul like me…well, Voldemort did so to try and engage in character assassination. He wanted to humiliate Harry before he died. I'm taking issue with that. So…I'm gonna take the fight to him. Oh don't worry, father. I'm not gonna be stupid about it."

"I hope not. You may hate me, but…I still care for you. I do not wish to see you die because you sought revenge on an impulse."

"I'd rather make the other bastards die first…"

They parted ways on, if not good terms, then cordial ones. Eto felt herself conflicted. She'd held onto her hate for her father all her life, but she also knew he tried to do some good, to atone for his sins. He genuinely felt something for her.

But he didn't want to change the world. At best, he wanted to make a tiny corner of it better. Eto, however, was going to do better than a coffee shop in part of Tokyo. She wanted to shake up the established order.

Ambivalence. Yes, that was it. She felt ambivalent about her father. The hatred was still there, and always would. And she'd be damned if love for him, the love a daughter had for her father rather than an Electra Complex (she liked some weird shit, but the only way she would have anything to do with an Electra Complex was to write it in one of her stories). But...the hatred had died down a little.

While she was caught up in her thoughts, she wasn't so caught up in them that she didn't notice her tails. Even if they hadn't been dressed in old-fashioned European clothes that went out of fashion at about the same time as the Titanic did, she would have noticed them. She smirked as she realised something. There was an entrance to the 24th Ward very close by. That great underground warren, filled with danger.

With a smirk, she slipped into a dilapidated building, and then, using her speed, rushed to the entrance, hidden by a manhole cover, slipped down it, and slipped into the shadows, extruding her kakuja as she did so. She then clung to the ceiling.

They soon stormed in, noisily and without any pretence at stealth. Stupid wizards, and British ones, judging by the way they spoke English. "Where's the little bitch?" snarled one.

"She can't have gone far! She couldn't have gotten away so fast! Anyway, what is this place?"

Eto grinned, before she threw her voice. It was a trick Noroi had taught her, to unnerve her enemies. "This is my home, gentlemen. My domain. My…kingdom." Her voice, warped and distorted by her transformation, echoed eerily. "Welcome…to the 24th Ward."

"Who are you? Show yourself!" roared one.

Eto chuckled, even as she moved around stealthily. "I think not. Hmm, I let Little Red Riding Hood pass, and caught myself a bigger prize. You fools think yourselves the Big Bad Wolves of this story." Suddenly, she sent a hail of crystal from her kagune, killing two of them, and as she dodged the spells that promptly fired off in her general direction, she taunted, "But you're just the…one, two, three, four…Four Little Pigs now. SQUEAL FOR ME PIGGIES!"

The fight that followed was brief. They fought back, true, but her speed, even in her kakuja form, was superlative. And she knew this place better than they did. They were literally taking shots in the dark, whereas she had fairly good night vision. Soon, only one was left alive, his arms torn from his body. He'd bleed out soon. But he managed to cover up his fear with defiant anger. "…Just you see…the Dark Lord…won't take…this lying down…we will…give Arima…his whore's corpse…"

Eto cocked her head quizzically, the gesture endearing even in her monstrous kakuja form. "Oh? You mean Voldemort?"

"Don't you dare speak his name so casually, you filthy creature!" he snarled.

"And yet, this filthy creature ended your miserable existences," Eto said, before allowing her kakuja to dissipate. "And I am VERY protective of my boyfriend. Voldemort is just a minnow, and I am a shark."

"You…you're a Ghoul? Arima's whore…is a Ghoul?"

Eto's eyes narrowed, before her hand lashed out, tearing through the wizard's chest, and ripped out his heart. With an evil grin, she bit into it as the man watched, his dying vision being her eating his own heart.

It was spoiled a moment later when she spat it out. "Ugh! You know, given your scarecrow looks, you've been in Azkaban for too long. Your heart certainly tastes that way. I like eating hearts normally, but yours may have put me off them," she grumbled in annoyance.

She soon contacted the Arimas, reassuring them that she was all right. The cover story was that Sen Takatsuki had been in the 24th Ward on and off out of curiosity, as well as research for her books, and had been able to lure her would-be attackers through there. What happened to the Death Eaters, as they turned out to be, was SEP.

The Japanese Ministry was in uproar as to how a group of British wizards slipped in, though that was because Lucius Malfoy had enough connections and money to allow them to come in without much trouble. Thankfully, given Sen Takatsuki's already known ditziness and her penchant for horror novels, her going into the 24th Ward was never questioned, chalked down to a potentially lethal eccentricity.

Still, Eto had had enough. So, that night, she headed to Aogiri Tree's headquarters, and met with Tatara. He didn't waste any time with any fripperies like asking after her health. "Well?"

"If you think I am going to get Aogiri Tree involved in this, I am not. Voldemort targeted me to get to Harry. He failed, but I cannot be sure he won't succeed if he tries again. Therefore…I am heading back to Britain later on. I'm taking the fight to Voldemort."

"Without Aogiri Tree?"

"I may be your leader, Tatara, but I know you can carry on my work without me, and I don't want to drag any of my followers into a battle they have little investment in. I'm not stupid. Going up against Voldemort could mean my death. I don't intend to die, and I'm going to make absolutely sure that I stay alive. But…if something does happen, I want you to promise me two things."

Tatara nodded. "You wish me to continue your will."

"Yeah. But also, another thing." She explained about Harry being turned into a One-Eyed Ghoul. "So…if Harry ever gets expelled from the CCG…he is to have a place in Aogiri, regardless of whether I am alive or not."

"Understood," Tatara said. He knew Harry Arima and his potential involvement in the plans Eto and Kishou Arima had drawn up. His loyalty to Eto was absolute. Whatever she asked of him, he would obey.

She hoped it would not come to it, though. She intended to wreak absolute havoc on Voldemort and his followers, and survive. And she was going to deliver Voldemort's carcass to Harry. Then, they would have a feast for two. How did the Addams Family motto put it? Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc. Or, from crappy Latin to pretentious English, We gladly feast on those who would dare subdue us…

CHAPTER 20 ANNOTATIONS:

Oh dear. Eto's on the warpath. Sadly, this may be the last chapter for a while. But considering you just got a burst of four chapters all at once, well…that's something.

Also, Eto reuniting with her father. I think that, even if she was the canonical Eto, such a coincidental meeting may have gone rather similarly. I think what she feels for her father, while mostly hatred, is complicated. She does have her mother's journals, after all, and she knows what kind of man her father is, but it's also been tainted by bitterness about what happened to her in the 24th Ward, as well as her mother's fate. She doesn't love her father, and what little admiration she has for him is tainted by Ukina's death and her abandonment. She understands why he did so on a rational, logical level, but she still hates and resents him for it.

On the other hand, while she sneers at him for not doing enough for Ghouls everywhere, she also recognises what he does with Anteiku, and because of Harry's influence, she decides, as a courtesy, to try and avoid getting any Ghouls involved with Anteiku caught up in her war against the Washuu. This is certainly a difference to canon. Eto actually has more empathy here than in canon, though she's still a sociopath. Just less of one.

1. I generally avoid gratuitous Japanese terms and honorifics, but Maaya Sakamoto's delivery of "Otou-san" in the penultimate episode of Tokyo Ghoul √A is so chilling and deranged, I just had to use it. Lindsay Siedel's "Hello there, Father", while chilling, doesn't quite have the right childish quality Sakamoto did. It goes to show how versatile Sakamoto is: I've heard her as Mari from Rebuild of Evangelion, as well as Da Vinci, Jeanne d'Arc (all three versions), and young Iskandar from the Nasuverse.