Corie=28

Kaneki=23

"Corie," Touka said at the entrance to the woman's room.

"Yeah?"

"Um…come up with me."

"I can't, the coffee shop's open."

"I closed early."

"Why?"

"Just…come with me. And…don't flip out."

Corie eyed her warily. "Why would I flip out?"

Touka went back upstairs to the shop.

Confused, Corie followed after her. All of the blinds in the shop had been shut and the entire place was empty with the exception of one person.

"What are you doing here?" Corie growled, immediately putting all of her defenses on high alert. "I warned you what would happen if you decided to mess with my family again."

Arima held up his hands from his seat at one of the tables. "I didn't come here to fight."

"You are always here to fight."

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

"How'd you find this place anyway?"

"Ken came here frequently during his employment at the CCG. I did some digging and found out why. I came here because I want to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Understandable, but this is important. Get Ken. I won't say anything until he's here as well."

Corie clenched her jaw. Though her desire to murder the man for appearing in her life once again was overwhelming, the more reasonable part of her brain told her that if someone like Arima was willing to sit down and chat, she should probably take advantage of the moment.

She looked over at Touka and motioned with her head that she could go get Kaneki from down below.

After a couple minutes of painfully heavy silence in the café, Kaneki came up the stairs with Touka. His eyes widened when he noticed the lone visitor.

"Arima…"

"Hello, Ken."

"Why are you here?"

"Take a seat. You too, Miss Masataka."

Hesitantly, both Corie and Kaneki sat down across from the investigator. Corie flexed the muscles in her back, prepared to unleash her kagune should Arima so much as twitch.

Arima looked over at her. "When your true identity was revealed during your employment at the CCG, you insisted that everything you did was for Kaneki's sake. I thought that was an incredulous lie, and it was why I allowed Mr. Kimura to go as hard as he did when he was trying to get information from you."

Corie clenched her fists. "It's not bad enough you helped murder my parents in front of me and my brother, but you also allowed me to be brutally tortured?"

"As much as it pains me to admit, I realize he went a little too far."

"Only a little?"

"Fine. He went much too far. And up until two weeks ago, I was convinced that everything about trying to help Ken had been a poor excuse for why you did what you did. But that changed when I saw you fight both for him and with him. In all my time at the CCG, no one, be it ghoul or human, has ever been able to beat me. And the same can be said for you two. The both of you have fought me separately on three different occasions, and it never ended well for either of you. However, when you came together, I knew defeat for the first time in my life. You were able to do what no one has ever done before. You defeated an undefeatable investigator. Alone, neither of you will ever be enough. But together? You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who's able to beat you."

Corie and Kaneki looked over at each other.

Suddenly, Corie's eyes brightened and she sprang up from her seat. "That's it!"

Arima unconsciously put his hand to the case that housed his quinque but quickly took it away when he realized Corie wasn't trying to attack him.

"What is it?" Kaneki asked.

"Alone, we'll never be enough…"

"Yeah?"

"The CCG has tried to defeat the One-Eyed Owl over and over again and they've failed every time. Not even other ghouls have been able to defeat her. No matter what we do, she's always one step ahead of us. What if…the reason all of us have always failed is because we've been trying to go it alone?"

"Are you suggesting that…the CCG…and ghouls…?"

"Yeah."

"What you're proposing is ridiculous," Arima said bluntly. "Why should anyone ever agree to that?"

"Because it is the one thing Eto will never see coming. Ghouls and humans working together."

"It would take an incredible amount of persuasion to even get one or two investigators on your side. How would you possibly manage to convince the entire organization?"

"…I know of at least one person who'd be willing to help with that."

Corie went downstairs for a brief moment and came back up with one additional person.

Arima's eyebrows rose slightly. "Investigator Amon. I had believed you to be dead."

Realizing who was sitting at the small café table, Amon quickly bowed deeply. "Investigator Arima, sir! It is an honor!"

"If you're going to bow to anyone, I'd bow to the two people who were able to defeat me."

Amon straightened as his eyes widened. "I beg your pardon?"

"I have the scars to prove it." He held up his hands which were still healing from the holes Corie had made during their fight.

Amon looked at Corie and Kaneki incredulously. "You…you two…defeated Arima?"

"It was pretty awesome," Corie remarked. "For me, anyway. The reason I brought you up here is because…we might have a way to get rid of both Eto and all of Aogiri Tree."

"How?"

"By working together with the CCG."

"That's impossible. Investigators would never willingly work alongside ghouls and ghouls would never willingly work alongside investigators."

"You weren't thinking that last night."

Amon's face flushed as he recalled their kiss.

Kaneki hid his smile behind his hand.

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but this might be the only way. And things are more different now than they ever have been. We have investigators on both sides. You, Takizawa, and Kaneki all have huge influence at the CCG while still siding with ghouls as well. There are so many people who respect you and will listen to you and follow your lead."

"That was before. When they see what we've become…"

"I thought that too, but then I saw Akira Mado's reaction when she realized you were alive. She was more relieved than she was angry. You've earned so much of their respect that even turning into a half-ghoul can't make them hate you."

Arima stood up from the table. "You will have my support. Aogiri Tree has killed more people in the last three months than the last six years combined. It's time to put an end to this."

"The thought of working alongside you makes me want to vomit, but I'm willing to do it to save all the lives of the people Eto is going to kill if I don't."

"Likewise."

Corie looked at all the others gathered in the café, her mind still trying to process and piece together this beyond-crazy idea taking form. "I know where we can get some reinforcements."

"Urie."

Urie turned around, his quinque at the ready and his arm prepared to unleash his koukaku kagune.

"Hold it! It's just me!"

The woman removed the red and white mask covering her face.

"Reina? What are you doing here? It's dangerous."

"Aw, I'm glad you're so concerned for me."

Urie pursed his lips which made Corie smile. "Is there a reason you're risking your life by seeking me out?"

"I need your help."

"With what?"

"Arima came to see me and Kaneki last night."

"And you guys are still alive?"

"Long story. We came up with a plan and we're going to need you and your squad to help us."

"Help you with what?"

"We're going to bring down Aogiri Tree for good."

"Everyone, I brought in some old friends who are here to help us win the fight against the Owl and Aogiri Tree," Corie announced to the large group of people gathered in the training area that consisted of the :re squad along with Arima, Urie, and both of their squads.

She pointed to a pretty blonde-haired female. "This is Svetlana who trained me while I lived in Russia. She's the one who taught me how to access and use my kagune even when I haven't eaten in a while." She then pointed to a man with an athletic build and dark brown hair. "This is Matthias, a friend I met at university. He helped me with my endurance so I can last a lot longer in a fight." Lastly, she pointed to a handsome sandy-haired gentleman. "And this is Antoine who trained me while I lived in France. He's the one who taught me the precision technique."

"Pleased to meet all of you," Svetlana said in perfect Japanese.

"You can speak Japanese?" Kaneki asked in surprise.

"I'm fluent in thirteen different languages. I prefer to teach my students in their native language."

"She's good, too," Corie remarked. "She started learning Japanese the day after she met me and had pretty much all of it down in about a month. The others only know the basics so I'll translate the best I can when needed. We'll at least cover the commands we'll be using so everyone is on the same page once we actually start fighting."

Amon looked at the three newcomers. "You realize you have all created the hardest teacher known to man?"

Corie smirked. "You haven't trained with Svetlana."

There were several audible gulps from the people who had been on the receiving end of Corie's training. They all wondered how anyone could be harder than her and dreaded what Svetlana was about to put them through.

"It's extremely important that we keep these training sessions completely secret from everyone who isn't in this room training with us. The only thing we've got on our side right now is the element of surprise, so we need to keep that."

"Reina, this is really reaching," Urie told her.

Corie found it kind of adorable that the Quinx squad still couldn't call her or Kaneki by their real names.

"How do we know that ghouls and investigators are even going to work together come the day of the operation? It may end up being only us who are willing to put aside our differences."

Corie sighed. "I know. I'm putting almost all of my hope in the fact that a lot of investigators respect you, Arima, Amon, Kaneki, and Takizawa. And I know many ghouls who don't agree with Aogiri Tree and want to see it end just as much as the CCG does. I guess I'm really hoping that our desire for peace is stronger than our hatred."

Urie sighed. If this all worked out, Tokyo might see peace between humans and ghouls for the first time in history. But if it didn't, they were all going to get slaughtered and people would be more divided than ever.

There was so, SO much riding on this one operation.

But darn it if he wasn't going to see it through to the end, no matter what it cost him. Even if this killed him, there was no way he was going to sit back and watch other people fight his father's murderer.

Everyone began to train with one another. Ghouls trained with investigators and investigators trained with ghouls. For the most part, there were very little communication issues between the Japanese and the foreigners. And if there was, the problem could generally be solved through action rather than words.

On several occasions, two people would call attention to themselves and demonstrate a particular skill or maneuver they had picked up that everyone else could practice.

"Ow!" one of the members of Urie's squad exclaimed as he fought with Takizawa. "You did that on purpose!"

The young Quinx began fighting Takizawa for real which forced Corie and Svetlana to quickly intervene.

"That's enough!" Corie yelled. "Look, this is new territory for all of us. But this mission is not going to work unless all of us work together, got it? We're all doing our best to practice fighting and keep the injuries to a minimum, but accidents will probably happen. If it does, suck it up and move on, understand?"

The boy clenched his jaw and looked away from her.

"Touma, she asked you a question," Urie said firmly.

"I understand," the boy answered.

"Good," Corie said. "Takizawa, I'm gonna take it from here."

A very brief flash of fear crossed Touma's eyes.

"Relax. I have a lot of experience training half-ghouls."

Urie smiled the tiniest bit as he recalled all of his training sessions with Reina just a year and a half earlier. He never could've predicted that the woman he'd hated so much back then would become something of a mentor to him and would lead him and his squad into the most important mission of their lives.

"Hey, Hide!" Corie called to the young man Kaneki had brought down to the training area to assist with the mission. "Think you've got what it takes to fight with me?"

Hide smiled brightly. "Bring it on."

And so their fight began.

For two people trying to defeat each other, their faces really said the opposite. Both of them looked like they were having the time of their lives as they fought and even wounded each other.

Corie wondered if Hide had been wanting to fight her since he'd come to visit her at her apartment because she wasn't sure anyone had ever been more eager to spar with her. She had to admit that he was a lot better than she had expected. Well, one couldn't work at the CCG for as long as he did, even in a part-time position, and not learn anything.

Their fight soon ended cordially, and Hide went to go train with Matthias.

Corie took a swig of water from her water bottle. When she looked over at all of the people working together to build their strength and prepare for the huge battle that lay ahead of them, she couldn't wrap her head around the irony of it all or that her plan was actually working so far.

Once she had finished her short break, Corie walked over to where Mutsuki was training with Antoine. "Mutsuki, come on, let's train over here. Antoine, prendre une pause."

Antoine nodded and went to grab some water.

Corie faced Mutsuki as she got into the proper fighting position. "Okay, I've been wanting to help you learn how to fight with your kagune ever since I met you, so let's see it."

Clenching his jaw, Mutsuki unleashed his magenta bikaku tentacles.

Corie smiled and unleashed her own purple and black rinkaku tentacles.

Then the two of them began to engage in a skirmish where they fought but were still able to make conversation.

"Mutsuki, it's obvious you're mad at me," Corie said. "I've been on the receiving end of your death glares for the past three days. But if we're going to do this, we have to have each other's backs. Can I trust you to look past whatever you're upset about and work together with me come the day of the operation?"

Mutsuki looked at her angrily. "Trust me? How am I supposed to trust you? How am I supposed to trust you or Sasaki? You both lied to me. You both lied to all of us. I trusted you two, I respected the both of you, and the whole time, you guys were only lying to us about who you really are."

"Don't you think that's a little hypocritical coming from someone who is hiding their gender from everyone?"

Mutsuki froze, and Corie knocked the investigator off her feet.

"Don't ever let your guard down no matter what anyone says," she said firmly. "Eto is a master manipulator, and if you face her, she's going to say anything she can to make you freeze up like that. And she won't be as merciful as me."

She held out her hand for the Quinx, and the two of them resumed their fight.

"How did you find out?" Mutsuki finally asked.

"It took me longer than I'd like to admit, but after training you for a certain amount of time, I saw how your body moved differently than the others. Also, I accidently brushed up against your chest at one point and felt the bindings."

Mutsuki fell silent.

"I don't know why you're hiding who you really are from everyone, and you don't have to tell me. But you don't have to hide, Mutsuki. You don't have to be afraid."

After several moments of only grunts of exertion between them, Mutsuki finally admitted quietly, "I don't like the way men look at me. It's safer for me if people think I'm a man. Then they don't look at me…like that."

Corie pressed her lips together and sighed. "I wish I could say that wasn't true, but I know it is. But being a woman brings about its own set of strengths. If the male gaze scares you, turn it into something that empowers you."

"I don't know how."

"Tell you what. I have a friend I met in Germany who's really good about empowering women and helping them be comfortable with who they are. I think you should stay with her for a little while once this is all over."

"I can't. I don't know any German, and I barely know English."

"Well, how about this? I'll come with you and help you through the transition. You don't have to stay forever. Just long enough to really learn from this woman."

"I don't understand. Why are you helping me?"

Corie paused in her fight so Mutsuki would hear her next words clearly. "It's like I told Urie. You are my student. And I look out for my students."

She didn't mention that her German friend also had a way of getting people to confront their pasts and learn to accept it. She had been instrumental in helping her accept her parents' and brother's deaths, and she was the main reason Corie had been able to really move on and start living again.

She didn't know what exactly Mutsuki had gone through, but she had a feeling that she needed to confront it, and her friend was probably the only one who would be able to help her.

Mutsuki looked over to the other people in various spars and fights.

Touka and Kaneki had stopped to take a short break, and they currently sat next to one another with his arm around her waist. He gently kissed her forehead, let her drink from his water bottle, and then went back to training.

Mutsuki's hands clenched into tight fists.

"You like him, don't you?" Corie asked gently.

The Quinx turned to look at her in a combination of anger and embarrassment. "So what if I do?" she snapped.

"Mutsuki, if you keep focusing on what you want but can't have, you're going to miss what's right in front of you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Have you ever noticed that there is someone on your squad who is constantly looking out for you? Someone who genuinely cares for your well-being even more than Sasaki?"

"Who?"

Corie looked over Urie who was training with Amon and Takizawa.

"Urie?"

She raised her eyebrows in response.

"He's just my squad leader."

"You know, when I was talking him down from his kagune-induced frenzy, he only started to really come out of it when I mentioned your name. I'm assuming he knows about you, doesn't he?"

"…Yeah, during one of our missions. It was an accident."

"I noticed a different dynamic between you guys after one of your missions, and after I realized you were actually a woman, I put it together."

"Are you trying to tell me that Urie likes me?"

"I'm telling you that all that boy cared about was doing things that benefited him. Until you asked him to do something or you were in trouble. He's very protective of you, you know."

Suddenly, Mutsuki's world turned upside down. She had been so focused on her feelings for Sasaki that she never considered that anyone else could possibly have feelings for her.

She blushed as she realized that she had told Urie about being in love with Sasaki. How much must that have hurt him to hear?

Corie smiled a little at the young woman's reaction to this news.

If nothing else came out of this, she hoped that at least the two of them found their way to each other.