"Wake up," a small voice commanded.

Naki and Eto groggily opened their eyes to find the twins standing beside the bed. Trying to blink the sleep from her eyes, Eto looked at the clock.

"Hitomi, Kaito," she said gently. "It's 6:30 in the morning."

"You have a pool,' Hitomi said, turning to Naki.

"Yeah," he said, not fully awake. "The servants keep it clean, I haven't used it in forever though."

"Can we swim?" Kaito asked.

Eto blinked. "Do you even know how?"

Katio nodded. "Yeah."

The half ghoul looked at Naki. "Can they?"

"I guess," he said, sitting up. "Do they have swimsuits?"

The twins shook their heads.

"Okay," Eto said. "Naki and I have to think about it, because Juuzou is coming to get you today. Why don't you two go play downstairs while we think about?"

The two children nodded and scuttled out the door. Eto sighed.

"I would have to take them to get bathing suits," she said.

"It would be good for you," Naki said, laying back down. "Spend time with them."

The half ghoul climbed out of bed. "You're right."

The two Aogiri members got ready for the day, and soon Eto was standing in the entrance hall with her children. Hitomi had her kanji book in her tote bag with her, and Kaito nervously rocked on his feet.

"Mommy, where are we going?" Hitomi asked. Her eyes were fearful and full of tears. "Are you taking us back to the orphanage?"

"No, no!" Eto said, kneeling down. "I would never send you back. I'm taking you shopping. To get swimsuits so you can go in the pool."

"We're leaving the house?" Kaito asked.

Eto nodded.

"I want Mister Naki to come with us!" Hitomi said excitedly.

"Oh, um," Eto said, casting a glance up the stairs at the blond ghoul. "I guess."

"Yay!" Hitomi said, clasping her hands together.

Naki smirked and tromped down the steps. He was dressed in black sweats and a bulky gray sweatshirt. Eto gave the man a confused glance; she was used to seeing him dressed in his white suit. Ju San, on the other hand, smiled from where she was by the door. He hadn't worn that outfit since he was a servant.

With one last questioning glance, Eto walked outside with her kids. The group of ghouls walked to a nearby clothing store, and the twins were allowed to pick out a swimsuit. Kaito picked out navy blue swim trunks, and Hitomi picked out a black bathing suit.

"Don't you want pink?" Eto asked her daughter.

"No," Hitomi said, crossing her arms. "I don't like pink."

When the group returned the the mansion, the twins could hardly be controlled.

"Let's go swimming now!" Hitomi said, jumping up and down.

Eto sighed and told them to get dressed, and then her and Naki went upstairs to put on their own swimwear. The adults soon lounged by the side of the pool while the two five year olds splashed around on the steps.

Holding onto the wall, Hitomi made her way to the center of the pool where Naki was sitting. The man looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, kicking his legs in the water. She glanced at Eto, who was sitting in a chair reading, and then back to Naki. Hitomi let go of the ledge and grasped tightly to the blond ghoul's leg.

"Stop," Naki scolded. "You'll pull me in."

Hitomi paid no mind to what he had said. Instead, she stared intently at him. He was wearing black swim trunks. She cocked her head, and her long white hair swirled in the water. She batted her thick, black eyelashes and then pointed at Naki's chest.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to the scar that ran across his chest.

"A scar," he said, swaying his leg.

Hitomi giggled and gripped his leg tighter. "How'd you get it?"

Naki frowned. He remembered the psychotic look in Suzuya's eyes. Should he tell this innocent child that it was her own father that had injured him?

"A dove," he said.

"Did you fight back?" Hitomi asked.

"No," Naki said, frowning.

"Why?"

"I didn't want to hurt him."

"Why?"

"Because that would make somebody very said," Naki said shortly, ready to be done with the conversation.

"Well," Hitomi said, looking up at him with big, round eyes. "Every time you hurt someone, someone out there is sad bout it."

Naki stared down at the girl. For a five year old girl, she had amazing insight.

"I guess."

"Mister Naki," she whispered, pulling on his leg. "Can you do something?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"Teach me how to swim," she whispered.

Naki blinked. "You said you knew."

"I lied," she giggled.

Pushing away how disturbingly creepy it was how she had admitted to lying and laughed at it, he climbed into the water. He gasped as the cool water enveloped him, and Hitomi smiled. Her little fingers were white from how hard she grasped onto the ledge.

Naki backed a few yards away from the ledge.

"Swim to me," he ordered.

"I don't know how," Hitomi said.

"Try."

"I can't!" she said, eyes welling with tears.

"Hitomi," Naki said gently. "I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you."

The white haired girl hesitantly nodded, and she pushed off the wall with all her might. She didn't quite reach the blond ghoul, and she trashed wildly. Naki grabbed her and held the young girl on his hip.

"You see," he said. "That was a start."

"I don't like swimming," Hitomi said, crying.

"You can't say you don't like it if you don't know how," Naki said.

The two were interrupted by the door to the pool area swinging open. Suzuya stood in the doorway, scowling. He was dressed in work clothes and was sucking on a lollipop.

"Daddy!" Hitomi said gleefully.

The white haired man gave his daughter a small smile and then frowned at Kaito. The teal haired boy had not looked up at his father and was splashing around by himself on the steps.

Juuzou walked over to Eto, who had not looked up from her book.

"Yoshimura," he said sharply from beside her.

"Yes?" she said, looking up at him and adjusting her glasses.

"I thought about what you said," he muttered. "And I suppose you can teach them instead of you going to real school. Cause I know that them actually going would be impossible… And as far as visitation—."

Juuzou's words caught in his throat. His red eyes widened, and his mouth went dry. His hands began to shake, and a bead of sweat formed on his forehead. He stared at the red thread in Eto's arm, woven into the shape of a heart.

"What?" Eto asked, looking the man over.

"T—the stitches," he stuttered. "Y—you k—kept them."

Eto smiled a bit and stared into his eyes. "Yeah," she said softly. "I did."