The twins sat side by side on an operation table in a stark white room. Under the request of a friendly young man with blond hair and blue eyes, they had both donned hospital gowns.
They sat in an uneasy silence, waiting for the doctor's assistant to return.
Eto, who had taken her two children to Kanou's lab early that morning, now sat with the doctor in his office a few rooms away. Kaito, who was more keen to sound than his sister, listened closely. However, the thick lead walls didn't give away any of the conversation.
"Mum says we're gonna have that thing like Kotori has now," the real haired twin mumbled, kicking his feet that didn't quite reach the bleached tile.
"It's called Kagune," Hitomi corrected her brother. "What's wrong?"
He shook his head. "Nothing."
Hitomi gave him a nudge. "What is it?"
Kaito hesitated and looked around the stagnant room. "Do you think," he said shyly. "That when we get the Kagana-."
"Kagune," Hitomi butt in.
"Yeah," he scowled. "That. When we get it. What if Nanami doesn't want to be our friend anymore?"
The white haired twin blinked. "Why?"
"Cause before we're more like her," he explained. "But now we're gonna be more like ghouls."
Hitomi shrunk down, pondering the idea. "Nanami's not like that. She's our friend."
Kaito kicked his feet nervously. "But she's human, and her mama and daddy are CCG."
"Dad is CCG," Hitomi pointed out. "And he doesn't hurt us."
"That's different," Kaito frowned.
The door quickly swung open, and Kanou's blond haired assistant stood in the doorway.
"Okay," Shiyaku Kasu said in a cheerful tone. "Mr. Kanou will see you now."
Hitomi hopped off the operation table and skipped over the the young man, stumbling on her oversized gown. Her brother stayed seated on the table, suspiciously eying Shiyaku.
"Where's my mother?" he asked sternly.
Shiyaku gave him a warm smile. "Your mother is with Mr. Kanou."
Hitomi gave her shy brother an encouraging look, and he jumped off the table and scuffed his feet over to her and Shiyaku. The trio walked down the hallway, and the young girl jumped up and down to try to make echoing sounds down the corridor.
"It doesn't work with no shoes," Kanou's assistant commented, glancing down at the child.
Eto and Kanou stood outside his office. The older man was beaming at the kids, and Eto gave them an encouraging nod, mainly directed towards her bashful son.
"Hi there," Kanou said, smiling down at the children that now stood in front of him. Kaito began to creep towards Eto, but Hitomi waved gleefully.
"Hi Mr. Kanou!" she said, giving him a zealous smile.
The doctor laughed and patted her head. Hitomi tensed as he did so, and then a stern expression came across her round features.
"Let me touch your face," the white haired child instructed the older man.
The doctor shot the Aogiri leader that stood beside him an uncomfortable glance, and she simply nodded. Kanou awkwardly leaned down, and Hitomi ran her pudgy fingers along his jowls, slicked back hair, and bushy eyebrows.
She looked at her mother and then gave him a firm nod. Kanou stood up and cleared his throat, brushing off his coat.
"So, you need to come with me into the operation room," the doctor explained.
The kids nodded, and then followed him to a stark white room. Inside was several sheer curtains, and the twins instantly recoiled at the scent of blood and chemicals.
"Now now," Eto said, nudging them forward. "Go with Mr. Kanou. It'll be okay."
Both children gave their mother a disbelieving look, and then followed the doctor into the surgical suite, not looking back.