It's been a week, and Seidou can barely understand how this happened. On top of his grave he made a stupid decision, he revealed his face to a dangerous human that was once his coworker, he opened himself up to be killed. On top of his grave, he made himself vulnerable to two investigators. And on top of his grave, he got to first base with two very attractive people he had expected to kill him. It was a very strange night. It's been a very strange week.

After work every day, he'd go to Amon's house. It was pleasant, surprisingly neat and with plants in all the windowsills. Akira would meet them there, and they'd talk. Seidou still wasn't sure exactly what they were yet. A couple? Or is this what people call a throuple? Is this even a relationship yet? At the moment, they're at the "let's revisit these months I've spent legally dead" phase of the relationship. Takizawa would tell them the details of his confinement bit by bit when he was able to. Sometimes he wasn't, the memory of his body turned to mince meat turns the words to ash in his mouth from time to time. When he did speak of it, even Akira's horror showed. It was something he knew was terrible, he'd lived it after all, but he'd become so numb to the degree to which the details disturbed others.

He told anteiku about his meetings with them. Touka and Nishiki insist he'll get himself killed, Kaneki supports him, Koma tries to make jokes to take the tension away. But there's one thing no one can deny: the investigators never reported their meetings with him. In fact, the more he says to them, the more they slip up. Amon has been referring to ghouls as "he" and "she" rather than "it." Akira has admitted that she finds cochlea's executions inhumane. It seems he's laying the groundwork for something within them, they truly seem to care about him, and he is a ghoul. They don't know how to handle that, and Seidou may just have to take advantage of that for the greatest good. Takizawa has set up a meeting, one he'a hoping might sway them to see the world his way. Whether it goes well or not… no way of knowing until it's done it seems.

Getting both of them to agree to it wasn't easy, especially with the details of who would be attending. The Owl was quite a point of contention, it's bad enough that he's a famously deadly kakuja, but he personally killed Akira's mother. Another is No Face, prominent member of the clowns which just so happens to be the group Donato was a part of. Then there's the black dog and the devil ape, legends on their own, and the rabbit who killed Akira's other parent. This can be and, let's be honest, probably will be, a shitshow.

Yet nonetheless, he got them to agree to come with him to this dingy alleyway, where they're waiting to talk to a horde of monsters. Amon is standing stiffly with his boxed quinque in hand, while Akira paces, fiddling with the fabric of her skirt with one hand and boxed quinque in the other. She's going on about her doubts.

"And when, not if, when they attack, I will be prepared. You put too much faith in them," she insists.

"You've never even met them, and it's rude to have your weapon ready!" Seidou argues.

"They may be safe for you because you're one of them, but to them I'm only prey."

"You're not! They don't even let ghouls hunt in their territory!"

"Seidou… I have to agree with Mado here, even if they are safer than usual ghouls, we need to be prepared," Amon adds. Takizawa huffs.

"Well they aren't going to fight you unless you fight them. They're good people."

"They're ghouls," Mado asserts

"That we are," says a new voice. Akira gets into a defensive stance and Amon tenses even further as several figures arrive from around a corner. A chill runs down her spine as she looks them over. The devil ape hops down from a rooftop along with the black dog, sword enemies somehow moving in tandem. The Eyepatch and the Golden Retriever come after them, discreetly letting go of one another's hands. The Rabbit arrives with a man in a snake mask, and a… a child in a bird mask peeking out from behind her. Then there they are. No Face and the Raven walk on either side of the cloaked ghoul, masked in his own Kakuja, the Owl. But it isn't the owl that speaks first.

"Yo Seidou! These the dove thotties?" It was the devil ape. Akira had read about this one, how he sought out the most powerful investigators on purpose just for a chance at a challenge, and did not expect such a strong ghoul to start a conversation with that. The half-ghoul sighs

"Hey K-uh... Devil Ape," her old partner greets. It turns to Amon, looking him in the eye as it taunts.

"Legendary SS rated Devil ape," it sneers, Making her partner scowl at the clear posturing of dominance.

"You have no idea how much I want you dead," the Serpent groans.

"I have some idea, it's really fun," the ape giggles. Koutarou gives Takizawa a look of disbelief, and a bored expression is returned.

"He says that every day to everyone, I promise it's not a threat. He will not shut up," he attempts.

"It's a threat if he betrays us," The black dog interjects, now looking at Akira.

"That one already has her weapon ready."

"Yeah Seidou's our homeboy, you better have good proof that you're not gonna kill him," the ape goes on. It puts one of its hands on Takizawa's head like a dog and glares at the humans. Almost playful in the way it claimed him. It sent shivers down her spine, knowing that not just this ghoul, but several others likely as powerful surrounded them. If they attacked, even her chimera quinque won't be enough to save themselves

"Get your hand off of him!" Koutarou commands. Oddly enough, the ghoul complies, even stepping back with its hands up.

"Calm down, I'm not attacking your boyfriend alright?"

"Um… can we focus on why we're here? I don't want us to start fighting before we even talk," the Eyepatch suggests. Beside him the Golden Retriever nods, and carefully slips his hand into his once again. The ghouls all look to the Owl before returning their gazes to the investigators, and let their leader talk for them

"Thank you for meeting with us here," the Owl begins.

"Mr. Takizawa took quite a risk to have us meet, an initiative which I appreciate, and I hope that this discussion can go without needless bloodshed."

"You're one to talk," Akira tried to keep the rising fear out of her voice.

"Now let's get this over with."

"Rude," the snake masked one comments, then grunts as the rabbit elbows him.

"I'm not here for idle chatter, I'm here to make one thing very clear. We are going to fix Seidou and we are going to get him back to normal. He seems to think he can convince me not to continue hunting down my parents' murderers so I'll talk to you before I resume my work." The blonde woman states. She stares down the Owl in his single partially visible eye, and can recognize a hint of… something in it. It's odd seeing emotion behind those red and black eyes, but especially now she shoves that to the back of her mind. This creature killed her mother, and it drove her father half mad.

"Mado!" Seidou chides. "I'm sorry sir, she… really didn't like the idea of coming here."

"I understand-" the Owl begins, but Mado interrupts.

"Don't talk to it like it's your superior Takizawa, it's a creature that kills and eats, that's it," she snaps. The kakuja pauses, and deflates a bit. It sits down on a crate, moving slowly and with a grunt like an old man. Well, it must be old by now.

"I was told that your mother was one of my victims, for that I am sorry."

Of all the things she expected from a horde of ghouls, of all the things she expected from her mother's murderer, somehow that made her freeze in her tracks. It apologized. Is that what her father was fighting? Is this the creature he skipped school events and holidays and graduations to hunt down? Is this what he died for? There's a small, terrifying possibility that this creature is as kind and rational as Seidou says it is, and the thought is nauseating.

Did her father die to kill a creature that didn't actually want to harm? Is she fighting to do the same?

"Don't lie to me ghoul," she nearly growls.

"I am not lying. I am truly sorry for being the reason you lost your mother. This is… a point that would have come up eventually. There was no avoiding it, when investigators attack a ghoul they have the choice to retreat, but we do not. The result is needless death as we try to cling to life, but that death is neither something I enjoy nor take pride in. I do wish the circumstances had been different, and that neither she nor you had not been drawn into this cycle."

For a moment she freezes. She can feel the gaze of monsters on her, she can see her partners nervously looking at her, and she can understand the point the owl is making. What an awful thing it is, to see from the perspective of a loved one's murderer. No, that isn't right. This thing is not human, it doesn't think like a human, it's already made it clear that it will mimic human apologies to manipulate.

"Amon, Takizawa, we're leaving," she hisses. She can't do this, she was an idiot to think she could talk to a ghoul, to try to understand a ghoul. These creatures will justify murder, they'll warp human thought to suit them, they can't be dealt with. As she turns and starts out, Amon calls to her.

"Akira wait! We haven't-"

"I don't care, I'm not negotiating with animals," she yells. As she storms off, she doesn't care that she doesn't hear footsteps following her, if those stupid men decide to get eaten by ghouls that's on them. Her thoughts are a mess. It apologized. It was earnest, no, it was a mimic of human emotion. Those ghouls were protecting Seidou, or they were claiming him as prey, or they were asserting dominance. Something! Her breath quickens as does her pace, she needs to get away- no, she needs to get back! Her partners are being idiots but she doesn't want to lose them. But she's outnumbered. But she could kill the owl right now. But she'd be killed, they'd all be killed

Everything was too much, the cold night air, the texture of her jacket, the sound of cars and the knowledge that some of the most dangerous ghouls in tokyo are gathered around the two people she cares about most in the world. She made a mistake, she needs to go back. But she's outnumbered, out matched, she should get backup.

She's about three alleys down when she stops, freezing in place, balling her skirt material in her free hand as she tries to collect herself. It's all she can do not to cry, or rush back in to kill as many as possible before they kill her, and she doesn't know what she's doing. She swallows a lump in her throat, and sits against a brick wall. Deep breaths, running her hand over her skirt, tapping each fingertip to her thumb, things she does when she's overwhelmed in everyday life aren't enough. Amon could be dead, Seidou could be dead, she just got him back and he could be dead again. What is she doing?

After a few minutes pass, the sound of light footsteps makes its way to her. Her head snaps to face it, and from the sound of it, it's not a big person. No. Not a big ghoul. A grown male ghoul is rarely that light on their feet, a kakuja like the owl is even heavier, so it's not him.

"Show yourself ghoul," she barks. Combat, oddly the idea is almost calming. She knows what to do in combat, that's a territory she's used to.

What she isn't used to, is fighting something so… young.

There's a little whimper, then an even littler voice.

"Okay."

Out from behind a corner, the small ghoul with the bird mask peeks out. Mado is caught off guard once again. She's ready to fight one of the others. She can take the eyepatch without backup, she can deal with the Golden retriever since it didn't ever use its kagune, she may even be able to kill that Rabbit who killed her father. She can definitely fight this one, but somehow that felt wrong.

"What are you doing?" She demanded. It's strange, she knows, to talk to ghouls. Trainees did it back on her first field trainings, and she could see why. They've adapted to look like humans, and people want to talk to them, but it never worked on her before, why is it working now? The mask covered the girl's entire face, so there was no way of telling her emotion aside from her voice, which sounded as afraid as she was.

"...I don't know," the ghoul admits. She can kill it. She should kill it. She remembers what she learned in the academy. "Ghoul cubs are much weaker than the adults and can not fight lethality. Any that are found are easy to kill, and should not be allowed to escape despite the lack of threat since if they are allowed to mature, they will become one." It was easy to agree with back then, she thought the cubs would be clearly nonhuman and malicious, not scared and far too childlike as this one. Seeing it in person, it really didn't seem like a ghoul at all, just a scared little kid. Are they all like that?

...Did the CCG tell her to kill children?

It moved towards her, slowly, but she still moved her hand to her quinque. It did not attack, but instead sat down against the wall a few feet from her, hugging its own arms.

"...I'm really sorry." It whispers. Again with the apologies, but this one?

"Why?"

"I killed your dad."

"...what?"

"I really didn't want to, I promise I didn't want to, and I didn't eat him," it's voice quavers..

"That was you?" Akira questions. She doesn't believe it, it was the rabbit, the report said it was the rabbit.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," the child cries. It's shoulders rise and fall slightly as it sobs beneath the mask. Mado's chest is twisting, and once again she feels that overwhelming feeling of not knowing how to react. A child is admitting to killing her father, a ghoul cub is sitting next to her, vulnerable and crying, trying to say she's sorry. Her first instinct isn't to kill the thing, it's a kid, it's a kid who's terrified and remorseful. But she knows it's a ghoul cub and she knows that this specific ghoul cub is the reason her father's corpse was found. It was supposed to be the rabbit, it was supposed to have been a normal case of a ghoul ambushing an investigator, but there was no witness to the death was there?

"What happened?" She demands. "Tell me what happened."

The cub tenses, still sniffling, but nods.

"He found me and my mommy… he already killed daddy and turned him into a quinque. I got away but she didn't and I wanted to die… I went into the sewer because I didn't know what to do and he found me he- he told me that it was right that I wanted to die because I'm a ghoul and I'm dangerous and I shouldn't be alive. He put mommy in the quinque too, he tried to kill me with her too and my big sister came… she tried to save me but he got her and he wouldn't stop so-" a sob cuts her off.

"I'm so sorry, I-I didn't want anyone to die, I just wanted it to stop."

Honestly, awfully, she understands what happened. Disgustingly, she can imagine what it's like to be a little girl watching the corpses of her parents used as weapons against her. Terribly, she realizes that her father was not right. Did he really say that to a child? A ghoul, yes. A ghoul like the ones that he had made his life around exterminating, a ghoul that eats people and would one day hunt people. But fuck… that's a child. She knew that her father changed when her mother died, that he was rarely home and would rarely pay her much attention, growing more and more distant over the years. How could she not see how far gone he was? She tries to get her thoughts under control. No. Her father was right. Ghouls are monsters who kill, which is why the CCG exists. Her parents joined to kill ghouls, then the owl killed her mother to protect himself and her father set out to avenge her. Then her father killed this kid's parents, and then almost killed her, and she defended herself. Then she comes… to… Avenge him.

Oh…

The CCG… isn't the one defending

As her lips part in realization, the little girl goes on.

"It's okay…"

"What?" Akira asks.

"You're supposed to kill me, I understand that now... It was selfish to want to live when I have to eat people, and it was wrong to kill your dad when he was just doing the right thing."

It was exactly what was right. That's exactly what she believes, what the CCG believes, what any reasonable human being believes. Ghouls must eat humans, so they shouldn't live. Humans must kill ghouls. That's how it is. But hearing it from a sobbing, shaking kid forced to defend herself amid a horrific death at the hands of her father who'd long stepped off the deep end, to hear a ghoul cub, no, a child accept her death for the circumstance of her birth… to hear someone who so clearly was forced to protect herself, who so clearly never wanted to hurt anyone…

"I can smell your quinque, I know it's them… You have to kill me and that's okay… I'll be with them."

That's the second time Akira hugs a ghoul.

— — — —

Talking with the ghouls had left a twisted feeling in Amon's stomach, not because they were creepy, but because they weren't. The Serpent and Rabbit are snappy and rude, but apparently at least one of them is a teenager who any other time he'd silently find their angst amusing. The Black Dog and the Raven were quietly protective of the others. No Face and the Devil Ape made jokes, they laughed and chatted like friends with each other, even with him and Seidou. The Owl and Eyepatch talked amicably, like kind neighbors or coworkers only one had been turned into a ghoul, and the other had never been human at all. The only one that didn't act quite right was the Golden Retriever, standing silently, hand in hand with Eyepatch but never speaking a word.

All of these people are his enemies. All of these people will one day kill him or his allies or be killed by him and his allies. Which is why he felt so weird about the kindness being shown to him, the understanding way the Owl answered his questions that were asked in anger as honestly as he can. It makes sense what the Owl's saying as he answers Koutarou's main question, "do ghouls ever think about the families of the people they kill?" It's a longer one than he thought. He'd imagine it to be a simple "yes" that is a lie, or a simple "no" that is the truth. But like everything lately, it's more complicated than that. There's layers of things he's never thought of, the way ghouls actually live and think in comparison to how he'd been taught to think of them. That they cope with death and killing like soldiers in a war, only unlike soldiers, their war never ends. He didn't think he'd be convinced, but this infamous kakuja is quite convincing. He wishes Akira hadn't left, even she may be able to get something from it, but for now he's just grateful to talk. Seidou is sitting with the Eyepatch and Golden, nodding along like the other ghouls do when the Owl makes a point. He feels like he's intruding on a family, and this isn't something he wants to destroy.

The ghouls perk up first as they hear something he can't, then a few seconds later he hears the familiar click of heels. All eyes are on Akira as she returns. Amon never expected her to come back, and it's clear from the look on Seidou's face that neither did he. Her face is slightly reddened, like she'd been crying but had wiped it away before getting there. Next to her, and very close to her, is the little ghoul. His eyes widened in shock, not because she was walking with a ghoul kid, but because the girl was holding her quinque to her chest and sobbing quietly. The Rabbit storms over to them.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" She hisses, but the kid stops her.

"It's okay she didn't do anything bad, she gave them back," the kid tells her. The Rabbit hesitates, then ushers Hinami away from the woman. She doesn't say anything to her, clearly unsure of her intentions but more focused on comforting the child. Mado thumbs at her skirt material, then walks boldly up to the Owl, nodding politely to Amon as she does.

"I'll consider it." She states plainly.

"Akira what?" Seidou asks.

"...pardon?" The Owl asks as well. The investigator and former investigator can tell how nervous she is from how she fiddles with her skirt.

"I will listen to what you have to say. We are never going to be friends, but I'll put killing you on hold until the way the CCG handles ghouls is fixed. So tell me whatever you're going to tell me."

Rude? Of course. Blunt? Obviously. But Mado is agreeing to not only hear what the Owl has to say, but now seems to be operating under the assumption that the CCG is not entirely correct. It's sudden, it's odd, it's unexpected, but welcome. Seidou lets slip a hopeful smile, and she looks away.

"Thank you Miss Mado," the Owl continues. "Is there anything in particular that you want to know?"

"Yes. What comes first, ghoul aggression or humans exterminating?"

He pauses.

"That's a good question. It's all cyclical"

— — — —

Those words echo in Akira's mind as they walk back to her car. The ghouls had left, the girl had hugged her again, they never had to fight. It's all cyclical. Seidou is the first to speak.

"I'm just going to say it. Akira, what the fuck happened?"

She shrugs.

"Is that it? Come on, you don't just completely change your stance on the concept of ghouls and explain it with a shrug."

"I just came to a better understanding."

"Can you please tell us how? That cu- girl, that girl has your quinque and you look like you've been crying," Amon adds. She's silent for a little longer, looking down as she walks and tries to come up with the best way to describe it.

"She admitted to the murder of my father, but the circumstances were in her favor."

"Excuse me?" Seidou asks in disbelief. "You tore into Owl for killing your mom two decades ago."

"But this one is a child. She must have been barely old enough to fight when it happened, and she was clearly backed into a corner. I've never considered before… that they aren't born wanted blood. She was proof, and it got me thinking about other things."

"Which things?" Amon questions.

"The cycle," she states. "I could kill her like she killed my father, who killed her parents, who killed humans, who killed ghouls. Or I could just stop."

"Is that why you gave her your quinque? Was it a type of promise?" Koutarou tries to understand.

"It was-"

"Her parents," Seidou interjects. She looks at him in surprise, and he looks away again.

"I'm a ghoul, remember? I can smell it."

"Oh…"

"I never thought about how fucked up quinque are until I became a ghoul."

"I never have," Koutarou admits. "I guess I should be disturbed now that ghouls are really starting to look like people."

"So my meeting worked," Takizawa tests.

"Congratulations Takizawa, for the first time ever, your plans were useful," Mado mocks. The men are momentarily stunned.

"Hey I got you to hand a quinque to a ghoul! I'd say that goes beyond just useful," he argues, Mado smiles, followed shortly by Amon.

"You're quite cute when you're angry, I missed that while you were dead."

"Amazing, just ten minutes after an emotional breakthrough you're back to bullying me," the half-ghoul complains.

"Because I love you. You and Amon. Do you think I'd do this for anyone else?"

"I know you wouldn't, it's not on your schedule," Seidou jabs.

"Actually I scheduled it the moment we planned this, but that's not the point. The point is that I will consider helping some ghouls. I had assumed that they were born bloodthirsty but they are not, so I'm open to learning about other ways in which the CCG lies about information or mishandles the treatment of ghouls."

"Well you have a lot to catch up on since it's all shit," Seidou grumbles.

"More paperwork to go over," Amon comments. "But justice is worth working for."

"Work I know how to do," Akira adds.

"I may not be the best at understanding other's feelings-"

"Shocker," the half-ghoul jokes

"Hush. I may not be the best at understanding other's feelings, but I know that what those ghouls feel is real, that what you two feel is real, and that I feel like we can do this. Justice is worth working for, and so are the both of you.

"Oh come on… I held out on crying for that whole meeting, don't make me do it now," Takizawa complains. Akira chuckles, followed shortly by Amon.

"Well get ready Takizawa, I care about you whether you like it or not," she grabs Amon by the tie and pulls his head down to eye level with Seidou. "Now you"

"Yes. We love you, and the ghoul part of you comes with the territory," he states, standing upright only when Akira lets him go, and putting a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder.

"...thanks for going through all this shit for me."

"You opened our eyes to a lot and now we're correcting a lot of mistakes. We just get to do it with you," Mado goes on.

"But tonight, I'm exhausted."

"Oh me too," the half-ghoul admits.

"Me as well," agrees Amon.

"So I suggest we go over to Koutarou's apartment, watch a movie, and go to sleep."

"That actually sounds nice."

"Yeah, we've got a lot to do but…" Akira smiles.

"It can wait till tomorrow."

When they arrive at her car it's already midnight, and they'll deal with the full weight of everything as it comes. Whether that be the things they've done, what they believe, or the very foundation of what they've worked for, everything can be changed. Though there is one new constant, and that is that whatever happens, they'll face it all together. As Seidou looks at his girlfriend, assertive and elegant, and his boyfriend, sweet and handsome, he finds it all pretty funny really.

Maybe it's a good thing he became a ghoul after all. For two people he's fallen in love with, he really does need both arms