Eto didn't mind Kimi at all. The two woman had worked out an schedule of sorts; Eto would watch Kotori while Kimi was at work and would take of feeding her. In return, Kimi provided the half ghoul with companionship. They had become good friends, and Eto found herself smiling on a regular basis.

Eto loved taking care of Kotori; the year and a half old half ghoul talked often. Eto had soon picked up that her favorite word was 'no'. Kotori often toddled around the hotel, under Eto's watchful eye. The young ghoul had discovered her Bikaku kagune, and she was eager to experiment. Several lamps had been broken.

Kimi would bring Eto books to read, and they talked a lot. Eto felt strangely… happy. But it was at night when she felt empty, sad, and alone. She thought about Juuzou, him curled up snug and warm against her. Eto would run her fingers over the stitched heart on her shoulder, and the rears would slowly come. She thought about Naki, and she hoped that he had ceased abusing Ju San and the other servants. Eto wondered what he had told Tatara. She winced, not having thought of that before. Naki had been responsible for her; she hoped Tatara had not done him any harm. As much as Eto would've liked to deny it, she missed Aogiri. She wished so badly to leave the hotel and regain control of the feared ghoul organization.

At three months, her stomach had begun to swell. She felt the first kick at five months. Kimi had gotten all excited, and Eto could deny she felt the same. She, however, worried about what she would do when the babies were born.

Eto made the decision not do decide yet. She focused on her writing, and soon, she was all caught up, and the book became more of a diary than anything. She wished to return to Aogiri, but how she would do that with children, she did not know.

How would she raise them? Eto remembered Naki's offer, and she told herself that she didn't want him to raise the kids because she did not want to stress him out. However, sometimes, late at night, the real reason flickered through Eto's mind— the tiny stirrings of emotions she had felt towards him.

Eto continued to push the choices she had to make back, and before she knew it, she was eight months pregnant. The babies would be coming soon, and she knew it too. So did Kimi, who would casually question the half ghoul about her plans. Kotori, who had a larger vocabulary than most kids her age, would often ask questions.

One day, Eto was laying in bed, dozing. Kimi was at the university, and Kotori was supposably napping in the neighboring room. Eto was stirred from her light sleep the younger half ghoul pulling herself onto the bed.

"Hello, Kotori," Eto said, smiling and lazily opening her eyes.

"Hello," she responded in a squeaky voice. Her auburn bangs hung into her caramel eyes, and her hair was pulled into two pigtails. She pointed a chubby finger Eto's swollen stomach. "Baby?"

"Yes, baby," Eto said. "Two babies."

Kotori stared at her blankly; she had yet to grasp the concept of numbers.

"Name?"

Eto sighed. That was something she had been pondering lately. "If it's a boy, either Makoto or Kaito. If it's a girl, either Emi or Hitomi. Names are important. They all have meanings. Do you know what your name means?"

Kotori didn't seem to be listening, so she just blurted out her favorite word. "No!"

"Your first name means little bird. And your last name, I think, means west of."

"Little bird," Kotori said, stumbling through the words.

Eto nodded.

A month passed. Eto had spent most of her time in her last month of pregnancy making something for the babies— two books (one for each child) of as many kanji she could think would be appropriate to learn. She drew little pictures next to each character to explain the word. The left the cover of each book blank, not sure what to draw on it.

It was the twenty second of May. Eto sat in bed, thinking about her predicament, when a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. The bed beneath her became wet. She cried out in pain, and the noise brought Kotori scuttling from the other room.

"Eto?" she said, standing in the doorway.

"Get the phone!" Eto said, gritting her teeth and pointing to the burner phone Kimi had given her that was sitting on the dresser.

Kotori seemed to get the message, and she toddled over to the dresser. When she discovered she could not reach the phone, She ran into it, shaking it so the phone would fall. She picked up the phone and gave it to Eto.

The half ghoul Kimi as quick as she could, and she gripped the blankets in pain.

"Hello?" Kimi's voice said, coming through the phone.

"My water broke!" Eto said frantically into the phone.

"Oh god, I'm on my way! Be strong!"

Kimi had been in training to be a OB-GYN. She had switched, deciding to become a first responder instead, but she still knew enough in order to birth a baby.

After five minutes of excruciating pain with Kotori cowering in the corner, Eto heard Kimi racing up the stairs. The pale girl ran into the room.

"Kotori," she ordered her daughter. "Go to your room."

The young half ghoul obeyed, and Kimi turned to Eto.

"Ready to have your babies?" she asked, forcing a smile.

"Doesn't seem like I have a choice," Eto said through grit teeth.

Ten hours later, Eto lay asleep in bed. Kimi approached her quietly.

"Eto?" she said softly.

The half ghoul stirred and slowly opened her eyes. Her middle section was extremely sore, and she let out a grunt.

"Kimi?"

"Hey there," Kimi said. "You were really tired after, so I left you to sleep. I checked them out, they both are healthy."

Eto's vision came into focus, and she saw Kimi standing in front of her, a bundle in each arm. Her eyes widened. These were her… children? Her heart was pounding.

"Which do you want to hold first?" Kimi asked. "Left or right?"

"Left," Eto said, sitting up. She grit her teeth in pain.

"I bet you're sore," Kimi chuckled as she handed her the first bundle.

Eto gingerly took the swaddled infant into her arms. The baby had a small tuft of teal hair on its head, and it stared up at its mother with curious blood red eyes.

"A healthy baby boy," Kimi announced. "And my, let me tell you. He's got some lungs. He screamed so loud I was worried someone would call the cops."

Eto stroked his hair, and he made a gargling sound.

"You have your father's eyes," she said softly to her baby. "I will name you Kaito. That means to fly over the ocean."

Eto held her son for a minute more, and then took the second baby into her arms. It had round, brilliant green eyes and was bald. Its eyes were so wide and innocent; they captivated Eto.

"A healthy girl," Kimi said, trying to calm Kaito, who had begun to cry.

"Well," Eto said to her daughter. "I'm going to name you Hitomi, meaning center of the eye. Is that okay?"

Hitomi let out a small hiccup.

"I see! I see!" Kotori said, bounding into the room.

"Hush, you're going to upset them," Kimi said. "If you want to see them, you have to be quiet."

Kotori seemed to catch the word quiet, and she tip toed over to Eto, who was still holding Hitomi. The young half ghoul marveled at the baby, and she lightly stroked her head. She then did the same to Kaito.

"Name?" she asked.

"Hitomi and Kaito," Eto said softly, almost more to herself than Kimi's daughter.

As joyful as Eto was, she could not rid the heaviness of the fact the father was absent.