"M—my brother?" Mesume stuttered. Her mind was whirling with questions.

"Yeah!" Heiko grinned. "Half anyway. Same Dad. I'll explain it later. For now, you gotta come with us."

"Why?"

"So you can meet Kenki!" the short female piped up.

"Who's Kenki?" Mesume asked her newly discovered relative.

"Leader of the Cards," Heiko said. "Did you come here to join us or somethin'?"

"Yeah," the ski masked ghoul said, looking down at her feet.

"Come on then," Heiko said as he turned around. "Follow us."

The cards took off into the night, and Mesume followed. As she raced along, her mind worked overtime. Who was Koyama? And was she really this 'Hashiro Toukan' her supposed half brother had pinned her as? The group came to a halt at an abandoned warehouse. The group walked inside, and the interior shocked the servant.

It was a large. and there was electricity, which was odd because the warehouse exterior looked very much unloved. On the floor sleeping bags were scattered about the floor, most with wooden crates sitting next to them. About half the sleeping bags were occupied.

The warehouse occupants stared at Mesume and gave Heiko questioning looks.

"You guys go to your beds," Heiko said. "I'm taking her to Kenki."

The Cards nodded, pulling off their masks and filling up the unoccupied sleeping bags. Mesume followed Heiko to the opposite side of the warehouse, where a man was sitting on a large crate.

The man, whom Mesume presumed was Kenki, looked to be the same age as Heiko. He had scraggly hair that hung down to an inch or so above his shoulder. The servant figured he had dyed it the neon red that it was, for the roots were black. He had on a black t shirt with a dancing skeleton on it, and over that a black leather jacket. His pale blue jeans were ripped, and he wore the same black combat boots as Heiko. His hands were covered by fingerless gloves. He had an overall handsome face, with a pointy nose and hazel eyes. The man was carving something into the wood of the crate he sat on, and upon closer inspection, Mesume recognized it as a skull.

"Kenki," Heiko said, bowing respectfully. "Meet my half sister, Hashiro Toukan."

"Mesume Hanakurai," the ski masked servant muttered.

"Take your mask off," Kenki said to Mesume.

She tentatively pulled off her flower crown and ski mask. Kenki narrowed his eyes at her.

"So you're his half sister?" he asked.

"I guess so," Mesume shrugged. "Just found out a few minutes ago."

"Really now," Kenki chuckled. He then turned his attention to Heiko. "Are you sure it's Hashiro?"

Heiko nodded. "Positive. She survived Yamori. And she wants to join us."

"Really?" Kenki said, raising an eyebrow. He turned back to Meume. "What do you know about the Cards?"

Mesume shrugged. "You attack doves."

Kenki leaned forward. "Do you know why?"

"Um, because…" Mesume trailed off, unsure on how to answer.

"Because," Kenki said. "See all these ghouls?" Kenki said, pointing to the Cards members. "Everybody you see had their families slaughtered by doves. They were left with nobody. And there's a lot of ghouls like that. So I started a group. And we take in ghouls with no families. Some of them don't even have a place to live, so they stay here in the warehouse. We are a family. And we kill doves to avenge our lost ones, and to try to prevent what happened to us from happening to others. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Mesume said, staring at the man in shock. "That's a wonderful thing to do."

The man smiled. "Thank you. Well, Mesume, what card do you want to be?"

The servant blinked. "You're letting me join?"

Kenki nodded. "Pick a card."

"Seven is my lucky number," Mesume mused. "And I guess I'll be spades like Heiko."

"Seven of spades it is," Kenki said, getting up. "We won't do introductions tonight because it's already late. Do you have a place to stay at night?"

Mesume nodded.

"Very well," he said. "I'll leave you two alone now. I take it you have lots of catching up to do."

With that, then man walked away.

"I take it that was Kenki," Mesume said.

Heiko nodded. "Come with me."

Mesume followed the man, and he lead her to an upper level of the warehouse. They then climbed out and laid down on a platform that hung over where everyone was gathered below.

"Why did you take me up here in the rafters?" she asked.

"So we can talk alone."

Mesume stared at the man. He didn't resemble her in any way, so she wondered if he was telling the truth. On the other hand, how did he know those things about her?

"So… You're my half brother?" she asked awkwardly.

"Yeah," he smiled. "I take it you have a lot of questions."

Mesume nodded.

"I'll explain. So, my father was named Kihato Toukan. He wasn't all the powerful. Scrawny guy. Had hair like me and brown eyes like you. As a human job, he worked in a laundromat. As a ghoul, he worked for this awful organization as someone who handled the money. Yamori was part of it."

"Aogiri?" Mesume guessed.

Heiko shook his head. "Before Aogiri. Anyway he met my mother in some coffee shop."

"What was your mother like?"

"Hardly remember her," Heiko said sadly. "Her name was Ginkawa Gureshima. Had black hair and hazel eyes. Shy and quiet, from what my father told me. Well, apparently the organization didn't like her all that much for some reason. So they told my father to get rid of her. So he ate her."

"Oh my god," Mesume said. "That's awful. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I never really knew her. Well, my father moved right along to the next woman. Your mother."

Mesume's heart fluttered. Then, she felt sick. "Wait… Is Kihato Toukan… My father?"

Heiko nodded. "Nothin but a piece of trash. Your mother on the other hand; she was amazing. Kind and beautiful. I have no idea what she was doing with a man like my Father. Her name was Koyama Hyosuta. Father actually married her, and she became Koyama Toukan. Before I knew it, she was pregnant with you and your brother."

"Was she kind to you?"

"So kind," Heiko said, giving Mesume a teary smile. "So so kind. So she had twins. Koto and Hashiro Toukan."

"I'm Hashiro," Mesume said. "And my brother's Koto?"

Heiko nodded. "It didn't last though. When you were maybe half a year, Father crossed Yamori somehow. Yamori gave him a choice: to die and let his family live, or live and et his family die. Being the trash he was, he picked the latter option. Yamori broke into our apartment. When he came in, you, Koto, and your mother were in the living room. I was in my room, so he didn't seem me. Yamori tried to grab at you and your brother, but your mother protected you. Let me tell you now, she put up a hell of a fight. But Yamori killed her. When Koyama died, I when down the fire escape and hid in the alley to wait for Father. When he returned, Koyama, Koto, and you were gone. We thought you were dead. I lived with my Father until I was fourteen, and then I ran away. Guess Doves got Father not long after I left."

Mesume stared at Heiko in shock, trying to comprehend everything he had just told her. She hadn't been abandoned? Her mother had put up a fight?

"W—what did my mother look like?" Mesume stuttered.

"Lot like you," Heiko said softly. "Wavy brown hair. Big round eyes. But her eyes were the clearest blue."

"Sounds pretty."

Heiko nodded. "She was," he then paused. "What happened to you after Yamori took you?"

Mesume shrugged. "Made us servants at his mansion. But he died. And now we have a new master."

"Where's Koto?" Heiko asked.

"Dead," Mesume said flatly.

"Oh," Heiko said softly.

"So who are they?" Mesume asked, pointing to the ghouls on the floor below them. She wanted to get off the subject of Ju Yon—or Koto—'s death.

"We'll probably have introductions tomorrow, but I'll tell you anyway. The woman in the far left corner over there, that's S rate Sename Maikoku. He's a Ukaku user. Sename's pretty much second in command. He's the Jack of Spades, and also the one who attacked you. Sorry about that. Anyways, his partner is"

Sename did not look like a happy man. He wore a scowl on his face, and he looked awfully young to be frowning like that. Mesume figured him to be about seventeen. His blond hair hung in his hazel eyes that stared at the world with discontent.

"To his right is Kintai Shukujo. She's a charmer I guess. A~ rate and a Ukaku user. She's the Ten of Diamonds."

Kintai had the same pine green hair as Heiko, but it was long and fell perfectly down to her waste. She had stunning lavender eyes and an athletic build. All in all, she was beautiful. She looked to be in her late twenties. Mesume noticed that she was sitting next to the small ghoul she had seen older. In shock, the servant realized that it was a child.

"Who's the kid next to her?" Mesume asked her brother.

"Oh, that's B rate Shimina Yokeru. She's only eleven, but we're all the family she's got. She's the Nine of Spades. Unskilled rinkaku user."

The child looked tired, and there were bags under her ice blue eyes. Her long, wavy blond hair was in a crown braid. She was small for eleven, and she looked like she had not been eating well.

"Across from her is Sokutei Gosetsu," Heiko continued. "A rate Boukaku user. He can be a bit of a grouch, just thought I'd warn you. Sokutei's the Six of Hearts."

Mesume decided that Sokutei did look awfully grouchy. He was scowling, and his red eyes looked angry. He had hair like Heiko, except his was dark purple. He looked about her age.

"And to his right is Tanichi Shounin. He's an A+ Ukaku user. Two of clubs."

Tanichi had white hair that he wore in the same style as Naki did. He looked about eighteen or so. His stormy gray eyes kept flicking to the woman sitting next to him.

"Who's that woman he keeps looking at?" Mesume asked.

"Mitsumi Ouken," Heiko said. "She's kinda a big flirt. There's tons of rumors about her and Tanichi. But she's an A~ rate Bikaku. Three of hearts."

Mitsumi had straight, bubblegum pink hair that came down an inch above her shoulders and bangs. Her eyes were emerald colored, and she lazily flipped through the pages of a book. Mitsumi about the same age as Tanichi.

"Across from her is Shinbei Hakaro. S rate Bikaku. Friendly guy. Anyways, he's the Five of Clubs."

Shinbei wore his black hair in an undercut, and he was smiling. His eyes were a stunning turquoise. He looked her age, and Mesume decided Shinbei was an overall attractive man.

"To his left is A rate Ukaku user Jimota Yuuzoku. She's the four of hearts."

Jimota had hair just like Mesume's, but her eyes were a brilliant green instead of brown. She looked a year or so older than Mesume.

"To her left is Ranaida Arashiro. Queen of Clubs. A~ rate rinkaku."

Ranaida had dark red shoulder length hair with bangs and brilliant ice blue eyes. She looked to be about Mesume's age.

"And finally to her left is Matakeshi Shiato. A+ rate Bikaku user. King of Diamonds."

Matakeshi had scraggly black hair and large brown eyes. He looked to be in his early thirties of late twenties.

"So the highest rate is S?" Mesume asked.

"Well, Kenki is SS," Heiko said.

"Then why does he hang out with lower ranked ghouls?"

"The cards are his family. He founded it for that very reason."

"Why did he found it?" Mesume asked.

Heiko shook his head sadly. "Kenki Shinan. SS rate Rinkaku user, and the Ace of Diamonds. He's our leader. He tries to be like a father to all of us, because he can't forgive himself for what happened to his real family."

"What happened to his real family?"

"He had a beautiful wife and a seven year old daughter. His daughter was named Hizoku, and his wife was Raimushima. And by god, he loved them so much. But doves got them, and apparently he couldn't protect them. It really destroyed him. So he started a group to make sure that nobody feels as alone as he did."

"That's sad," Mesume said softly.

Mesume sat with her half brother for the rest of the night, but she returned to the mansion when the sun began to rise. She felt sick to her stomach, she had no idea how she was going to follow through with Suzuya's orders and protect her newly found family. She decided a kiss from her Master would certainly make her feel better.