One month later

"Good morning!" Eto said, sliding down the banister of the grand staircase. Ju San and Naki were talking in the hallway, and they looked up to see Eto marching over to them. She was dressed in her bandages, pink dress, and pink scarf. "How do I look?" she asked, spinning around.

"Ready for a raid," Naki said. "And it's three a.m. It's not morning."

"Good morning, Master Yoshimura. You look wonderful," Ju San said, standing up all prim and proper.

Naki was dressed in his white suit, his eyeshadow was on, his hair was nicely combed, and he wore the cologne that drove Eto absolutely crazy. He knew it teased her too; the smirk on his face said it all.

Eto looked at the small, round bruise right above the color of his shirt with satisfaction. "Ready?" she asked the blond ghoul.

He nodded and smiled. "Let's go."

Eto bid Ju San goodbye, and then the two Aogiri members left and melted into the night shadows.

"You need to button your shirt up higher," Eto commented to Naki casually as they strolled through dark alleyways on the way to an Aogiri base.

"This is as high up as it goes," he whined. "You know what I said bout you leaving marks above the collar."

"Whoops," Eto giggled.

"I'll get you back," he said.

"I'm sure you will."

The two made it to the base, where the Aogiri troops were already assembled. Miza, Ayato, and a couple other ghouls glanced at the bruise on Naki's neck, but nobody said anything.

"We have troops tracking the doves," Tatara informed Eto. "They are almost here. Hide out. We will weaken them, and then when they are at their weakest point, come in and take them all out. Understand?"

Eto nodded, and headed off to hide out somewhere. She found a side hallway of the old building that didn't seem to go anywhere, and plopped down.

She was bored, and thoughts she did not want often came into her mind when she had nothing to do. Eto wondered about Kaito and Hitomi. She was curious about how the orphanage was treating them; and she figured good.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the noise of the fighting that had broken out on the floor below. She yawned and leaned back, bored. The one eyed owl began to snooze, but she was soon awakened by a clattering sound coming from the hallway that the small corridor she was in attached to.

She sniffed the air. She caught the scent of blood, a human, and a ghoul. The ghoul's scent was one she did not recognize, but the human scent… It was a scent that she had tried to forget long ago.

She scrambled to her feet and dashed down the corridor and into the main hallway. Her heart almost stopped. Juuzou Suzuya lay on the floor, blood around him. He was trying to reach his scythe, but the Aogiri ghoul had kicked it away from him.

For a reason Eto did not know, anger burned in her. She assumed her full form and lunged at the ghoul. Eto dug her claws into him, and killed him. She tossed the body down the hall, and then shrunk back down to regular size.

Heart pounding in her chest, she turned and faced the investigator. He was staring at her, expression a mix of horror and anger.

"You!" he finally said. "What did I tell you I would do if I ever saw you again?"

Eto did not answer. She pulled off her hood, and unwound the bandages around her head, so that Suzuya could see her face. She looked at the man she had loved sadly. Tears came to her eyes. Juuzou struggled to get up, to try to reach his scythe that was on the other side of the hall.

"I said I would kill you!" he roared. "And I intend to live up to that!"

"You know," Eto said softly. "I really did love you."

"I don't care how you felt," Suzuya spat. "It doesn't matter."

"You're right," Eto said, frowning. "It doesn't. But I'm glad I ran into you today. There's something—something we need to talk about."

The half ghoul's stomach was it knots. She had to tell him. He may hate her now, but he needed to know.

"I don't need to talk to you about anything," Juuzou growled, returning to his mission of trying to get up.

"I—I had children," Eto choked out.

"Well, isn't that great," Suzuya said sarcastically. "Now there's more ghouls for me to kill. Guess the CGG won't be gong out of business anytime soon."

Eto took a deep breath. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, and he limbs shook.

"Yours."

Suzuya paused, and stared at her blankly. His red eyes were tired, and there were bags under them from many sleepless nights. His hair was a bit shorter now, but was still snow white and held back by his red bobby pins. Eto's stomach twisted when she realized he was wearing the suspenders she had bought him for christmas. "What did you say?" he said, voice shaking.

"I had twins," Eto responded, trying to remain calm. "Yours. You're the father. Do you not remember the night at the hote—."

"I remember the hotel just fine," he snapped. "So—so what you're saying is that… I have kids?"

"Twins," Eto clarified. "A boy and a girl. Kaito and Hitomi."

"I have kids," he said again. He was shaking. "I have kids and—," he paused. "They're ghouls, aren't they?"

"They're only a quarter ghoul—."

"They're ghouls," Juuzou interrupted, sinking to the floor. "I have children. I have ghoul children."

"Yes," Eto said, keeping her teary eyes on the ground.

"Where are they?" he asked, voice shaking.

Eto was silent.

"Where?"

"I gave them up."