Author's Note: *kicks down door* hIDE'S BACK AND SO AM I.

But for real, I'm so happy with what's going on in the manga. I know it's been a while, but with all those prime Hide interactions going on right now, I couldn't help but come back to this.

Apologies for any roughness in the storytelling or characterization. I hope you enjoy!

Akira had the audacity to be surprised when her stitches came out after stomping around the warehouse for an hour, searching for any clues about her missing teammate. When the medics forcefully escorted her to the nearest ambulance, they decided to prevent any further damage by sending her directly to the hospital for treatment. She loudly protested, but they shut the ambulance doors regardless.

With such a containable injury, Akira's treatment was done by the time the ambulance pulled into the special emergency lot, dedicated solely to the CCG. Thanking her pseudocaptors with a curt nod, she slipped out of the back and limped towards the entrance. If she couldn't keep looking for Nagachika, at least she could find the rest of her team.

Akira pushed through the glass doors and blinked, lost amidst the hurrying nurses and scattered gurneys on the main emergency room floor. Although she had been brought back this way once or twice after disastrous missions, she had never been conscious. She tried to find the path of least nuisance, skirting around a gasping agent clutching her stomach and tiptoeing around a doctor barking orders to the nearby nurses.

Akira slipped through another set of doors, relieved to be in a more familiar part of the CCG ward of the hospital. She moved slowly down the long hallway, glancing from room to room. Nurses and doctors milled quietly about, checking on their stabilized patients. After escaping the chaos of the receiving terminal, the main corridor was almost peaceful.

Almost.

"What do you mean I can't have my phone!? I need to contact my partner!"

"Sir…"

Akira's lips quirked upwards at the familiar voice. She knocked on the door, coming face to face with an exasperated nurse.

"Are you his partner? Or family?"

Akira shook her head. "No, but he used to work with my fa—"

The nurse did a quick survey of Akira before shrugging. "Good enough. Keep him distracted until we come back with some stronger sedative." She slid past Akira, calling for another doctor.

Akira entered the room, brow scrunching at the sight of one of her father's old friends, grumbling and grunting as he rooted through his discarded uniform. He glanced up and grinned at the sight of her.

"Akira! You've grown!"

She smiled thinly. "I didn't know you were participating in this mission, Tanaka-san."

He nodded before sitting up, tossing his jacket to the floor. "I was supposed to be part of the reinforcements, but somehow ended up on the front line. Higher ups did a pretty shitty job of planning."

"So I've heard." We weren't the only team that had strange orders then. "I hope you weren't too injured."

Tanaka sighed before flipping back the blankets. Akira frowned at the absence before she realized there was supposed to be the rest of a leg attached to his swaddled thigh.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Akira murmured, ducking her head.

He shrugged before tucking the blankets gingerly back around the stump. "Ehh, the ghoul did me a favor. The knee was going bad anyway. Now maybe I'll get some vacation time and the CCG will cover my replacement surgery." His forced smile faded as his shoulders crumpled. Akira watched him silently as his confident bravado slipped.

"Don't know what the hell I'm laughing about. I'm lucky to be alive. Could've sworn that kid was going to come back and finish the job. But instead he left me bleeding all over the damn floor."

"Kid?" Akira tilted her head, curious at the shift in tone. "He didn't try to kill you?"

Tanaka shook his head. "No, he didn't. Didn't even try, really. He seemed too distracted, looking everywhere but at me. Once I was down, he rushed in the opposite direction. Looked like he was on a mission and nothing was going to stop him. I guess that included me."

Akira's forehead furrowed as she mapped out the warehouse in her head. "Where was he going?"

He considered the question for a moment before nodding. "The southern bays. Don't know why. They were damn near destroyed after a roof collapse a few years ago. We didn't even bother trying to go that way."

Akira's gut clenched automatically. They were supposed to be at one of the southern entrances, but the compromised structure made them move. A ghoul on a mission, a missing investigator. The chances that the two events were related seemed impossible, but Akira remembered again how Nagachika entered their team on murky orders from Marude.

"Can you describe the ghoul again?"

He didn't kill Tanaka-san. He was distracted and trying to get somewhere else. What ghoul from Aogiri Tree would do that? She shuddered as she thought back to the grinning ghoul, toying with them, trying to beat them down one-by-one.

"He was young, probably even younger than you. Which was what made me remember that he had such white hair."

"And? Did he have a mask on?"

"Yeah, he did. I'm trying to think…" He groaned, rubbing at his temples. "Oh, right! It was a nasty one, teeth barred and smiling and—" Tanaka's eyes glazed over as he drifted back to the warehouse. "He seemed so determined… So frightened…"

Akira wasn't sure who Tanaka was referring to anymore, but she decided it was probably time to let him rest. A nurse had slipped into the room a few minutes earlier and was watching her with a solemn silence as she adjusted Tanaka's IV.

She nodded to the nurse before moving towards the door. Tanaka's sleepy, slurry voice caused her to pause.

"Akira… my team. Do you know what happened to them? Nakamura and Inoue?"

She glanced down at her whitened knuckles, clenched around the door handle. She had seen Nakamura's name three times, right below where Nagachika's name would have been when she scanned the fatalities list repeatedly.

"I don't know," she muttered, knowing her father's old friend would already have nightmares without adding on the death of a teammate. Tanaka released a knowing sigh before burrowing deeper into his blankets, finally overcome by the stronger sedatives.

Akira slipped through the door, determined to find her superior.

She found Amon in the waiting rooms, propped up in a chair with a pair of crutches tucked underneath the seats. When he spotted her coming, he attempted to rise with a grunt, but she waved him down with a firm sweep of the hand.

His gaze dropped to her leg, eyeing the stream of dried blood from the earlier reopened stitches. She had been in too much of a hurry to let the paramedics deal with the cosmetics.

"Are you—"

"Fine. What about you?" She glanced down at his ankle, concealed beneath a heavy walking boot.

Amon's lips quirked upwards before flattening out, as if he would have been disappointed with any other response from his subordinate.

"A fractured tibia. They only gave me this," he gestured towards the boot, "since I couldn't promise I'd stay off my feet."

"And Seidou?"

"They're keeping him under observation, but he seemed to be fine." Amon locked gazes with Akira, ready for her next answer. "Nagachika was not brought here."

"No, he wasn't."

Amon nodded; he had expected this. He exhaled his frustration and dismay with a deep sigh. "So, it was real then. Nagachika really did try to lure the ghoul away."

"They couldn't find him." Amon's brow furrowed as he looked back up at his subordinate. "Nagachika is missing. He's injured—the paramedics found his helmet next to a puddle of blood—but he isn't on either of the lists." She paused. "I even checked over the investigators too…damaged to identify and he wasn't there either." That had also been a heart pounding experience, scanning over the mangled corpses for a flash of blond.

"He's missing?" Amon echoed, still struggling through the last remnants of his painkillers to catch up. "Did you file a report?"

"I did, but due to his lack of training and the circumstances around how he disappeared, they believe finding him is a low priority."

"Missing" investigators were not uncommon, especially since their statuses were frequently changed to deceased once the bodies were found a few hundred meters from the battleground. These were their "low" priority cases.

However, Akira knew that cases involving missing investigation assistants who may have been captured by ghouls were considerably rarer. Amon did too, grunting as he rose to his feet again. If Nagachika was to be treated like a low priority, then it was up to them to find him.

He was part of their team.

It was a strange feeling, holding Hide. With Hide pressed to his chest, Kaneki could feel everything he had tried to force himself to forget. He could feel Hide's warmth, radiating through the chill of the frigid night. He could feel the soft rise and fall of Hide's shoulders each time he took a shallow breath.

Hide felt so heavy, so alive, but also so fragile, as if he could snap Hide in two with a single misstep.

He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he had to get Hide away from where Rakko could find him. At least, away from Rakko and the others before Hide woke up. He was still struggling around his explanation, feeling the jumbled words tangle through his mind and heart like writhing snakes. Kaneki shuddered; the sensation was disgustingly familiar.

Hide murmured something softly, shifting in Kaneki's arms. Kaneki froze, starting down at his delicate cargo with widened eyes. His mask was clipped to his belt—what if Hide woke up and saw him like this?

Tossing a look over his shoulder, Kaneki figured they were far enough from Rakko's room to rest. He gingerly laid Hide down, pillowing his discarded Aogiri cloak under his bruised temple. His trembling fingers hovered over Hide's crimson matted hair before he yanked them backwards. Kaneki fumbled with his mask, scrambling to undo the buckles with jerking motions. He had to hurry. It was only a matter of moments bef—

Hide groaned again, reaching up to rub at his squeezed-shut eyes with a wince. He moved to rise up, but Kaneki automatically reached out his hands to keep him in a reclined position. Hide's blurry eyes slowly opened and landed on Kaneki. He flinched, pulling his arms from Hide and burying half of his face in the crook of his elbow.

"Hey Kaneki."

Kaneki trembled at the words. How many times had he dreamed them, only to wake up alone in the dark, strapped to a chair?

"It's been a while, huh?"

Why isn't he scared? He should be scared of me! Angry!

He kept his gaze lowered. He couldn't bear to see the fear, the rejection.

"Kaneki… look at me." Kaneki hesitated, clenching his darkened fingernails deeper into his palm. It felt so good to hear his own name again, but that warmth was dangerous. Like a fire.

"Kaneki, please."

When he peeked back up at his best friend, he saw that Hide was upright and watching him with a sad smile.

"I'd apologize for bleeding all over your cloak, but you can't even see the stain. Pretty smart way to reduce laundry costs, if you ask me."

Kaneki's ragged breaths grew shakier when Hide reached over and planted a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Kaneki, I'm glad I found you."

Kaneki jerked his head back, narrowly missing Hide's chin after he had scooted closer.

"I mean, technically you found me, but that's beside the point. I'm glad we found each other," he amended.

"Found?" Kaneki croaked. His voice was hoarse and thick like Hide's, but more from emotion than injury.

Hide was looking for me?

"I was worried about you, man. Ever since you disappeared, I tried everything to find you."

"Did you know? That I was a mo—"

He knew and he was still looking for me?

"A ghoul? Sure. First time I saw you after the accident, you had an ear lodged between your front teeth."

Kaneki stiffened with a sharp intake of breath. "Hide, I ne—"

"Kidding! I was kidding, Kaneki." Hide rolled his eyes with a good-natured smile. "I was trying to tell a joke to lighten the mood. You look you're at a funeral or something."

Almost was.

He eyed Hide's temple, swollen and purple. His gaze traveled down Hide's battered body, landing on his dripping calf and the small pool of blood underneath it. Kaneki immediately chastised himself for being so concerned about Hide's reaction.

(Stupid! You didn't even try to stop the bleeding! He could have died before you even had the chance to explain.)

Hide followed his gaze and mashed his lips. "Right… That'll make getting out of here a little bit more difficult."

"Does it hurt?" Kaneki moved tentatively towards the injury. His stomach growled instinctively, but Hide made an ostentatious show of masking it with a loud yawn instead.

"Oh, it's absolutely excruciating. Worse than the time you made me read that one book by Takatsuki Sen. What was it—something about a gruff goat?"

Kaneki shook his head and laughed, a hesitant sound that crescendoed. "You got two of the stories crossed." Although his expression faded back to a more comfortable one, the smile remained on his face. He ripped off a shred of his cloak and fastened around the puncture wound on Hide's calf. Hide winced at the contact, but kept chattering to keep Kaneki's mind (and stomach) off the cloying scent.

"I still don't know how I made it. I was trying to lead this ghoul away from my team—right, I'll have to explain that later too—and he speared me through the leg with his kagune. I thought I was dead mea—err, I wasn't sure what happened next, but then I woke up here. With you."

"The ghoul that hurt you, what was he like?"

Hide shuddered, rubbing the back of his neck. "A bit creepy. He was really relishing it all. That's why it was so surprising that I survived."

Rakko. He'll pay for hurting Hide. Kaneki's grip around Hide's leg tightened reflexively, but he loosened it immediate when Hide started to fidget.

"That must have been Rakko."

"Rakko? Like, the sea otter?"

Kaneki blinked. He had never stopped to consider the translation of Rakko's name before. He could only imagine how frustrated Rakko would be if he knew that a human was laughing at his name.

"Wow, that's a bit embarrassing. Being killed by a ghoul named after a fluffy water cat."

Kaneki opened his mouth to warn Hide about mocking such an unhinged ghoul when his communicator went off. Flicking a careful glance towards Hide, Kaneki flipped it open.

"One-Eye," he muttered in a deeper, coarser voice. Hide's eyebrow darted upwards in mock amusement.

"Hello, One-Eye. I went back to fetch you, but you weren't there." Hide's expression dropped at the familiar voice. Despite all of his smiles and confident bravado, apparently his brush with death had still shaken him.

"I moved. The location was compromised by Doves."

"Speaking of Doves, I hope you still have your little birdie. Ayato is interested in meeting this dangerous ghoul-killer. You have fifteen minutes to report back to the conference room." The line went dead, leaving Kaneki to stare blankly at the device.

"Ghoul-killer…?"

Kaneki sighed. He had been hoping to avoid this particular topic. "I heard your voice on one of the CCG radios. I told the other ghouls to find you and bring you to me. Unharmed." Kaneki swallowed thickly. "Rakko disobeyed and…. I'm sorry, Hide."

Hide tittered nervously, though Kaneki could sense that he still seemed rattled by the call. "So, it wasn't my dashing wit and luck that kept me from being killed?" He tried to sigh dramatically, but it came out in two shaky, fragmented exhales.

"It's my fault that he knows about you."

Hide shrugged. "We would have run into each other eventually. My team encountered him in one of the warehouse bays. You ordering him not to kill me probably saved my life."

His team? He keeps talking about them. Is he really part of the CCG?

"You keep mentioning your team," Kaneki muttered softly, unsure of whether this was a safe thread to pull.

He nodded his head eagerly. "I told you I tried everything to find you. The CCG seemed to have…the best information, so I tried to get some of that by part-timing as an investigation assistant. It worked, didn't it?"

Kaneki didn't like the fact that Hide had entered such a dangerous business, especially after he went through so much trouble trying to distance himself from his best friend in the first place. However, his heart had settled into a peaceful rhythm sometime during their conversation and Kaneki couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so frequently. It was selfish of him to be happy while Hide was still at risk, but he decided he deserved to enjoy the sensation at least once more.

"I have to get you out of here before Rakko and the others come looking for us."

Hide frowned. "Won't you get in trouble if they find out you helped a CCG agent?"

Kaneki shook his head with a firm jerk of the chin. "I'm not going to let them take you away again." Hide tilted his head at the strange wording, but he said nothing.

"Can you walk on your own? I can try to distract the others while you run towards an entrance."

Hide pressed his lips together, shoulders slumping. "I don't think so. I… I think the bone might be damaged." Kaneki glanced back at Hide's leg. He hadn't noticed while binding the more distracting injury, but his foot had seemed at an odd angle. It had been unresponsive while Kaneki bandaged and put pressure on Hide's calf.

"I might be able to crawl though?" Hide offered unhelpfully.

"I'll have to carry you out then. I can still fi—"

Hide puckered his lips, thinking. "Well, are these ghouls particularly smart?"

"Huh?"

He pulled Kaneki's cloak closer to himself. "I could pretend to be some ghoul that died in the raid. No one would know if I lie really still and you cover me in this!"

Kaneki didn't like the sound of that either. The thought of carrying a motionless Hide under a shroud—even if he were still alive—was genuinely unnerving to Kaneki, almost like a distant nightmare.

However, if it was the only way to save him—

"Knock, knock."

Both pairs of eyes darted towards the door. Rakko burst in, teeth gleaming as he noticed Hide was awake. Rakko's gaze drifted towards the bandaging on Hide's leg.

Interesting. What would the point of that be, if One-Eye was just going to kill him anyway?

"Rakko." Kaneki's voice was a hiss so venomous that even Hide could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise. "What do you want?"

"I decided to escort you to Ayato myself. I'd feel so terrible if my supervisor was killed by some dangerous ghoul-killer that I delivered to him." He reached towards Hide's collar, but Kaneki smacked his hand away.

"I'll carry him."

Rakko bowed his head, no longer attempting to conceal his smile.

"After you."

Once Seidou had regained consciousness, Akira recounted what had happened for the third time that day, feeling no better then than she had the first time. She made sure to include every detail, even ones as confusing as the two pools of blood and Nagachika's discarded helmet.

Amon, who had already heard it once, watched Akira impassively. Seidou, however, was significantly more emotional.

"What? What do you mean he's missing?! Ghouls don't kidnap CCG agents! That's not what happens!"

Amon flicked his gaze towards the door. The doctors had warned them about upsetting Seidou.

"I mean what I said!" Akira snapped, feeling just as helpless as the others were. They had all coped with loss and were aware that any mission could be their last. But Nagachika was different—he was too young, too close to being like the civilians they strove to save. He was part of their team and he risked his life for theirs.

Seidou settled back down in the bed, momentarily stunned into silence.

Amon crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall to take pressure off of his injured leg. He knew he should be seated, but he was tired of resting.

"Is there anything else?"

Akira hesitated before pursing her lips. Her behavior only made Amon more curious. He knew his subordinate hated feeling foolish, so she only spoke up whenever there was an indisputable reason to do so.

She must have a theory, but she isn't sure about it.

"Tell us."

Akira sighed before relenting. "It's what Tanaka-san said about the ghoul that attacked him." Amon hoisted a brow upwards. Akira had briefly mentioned visiting Tanaka, but she didn't say what they had discussed.

"Tanaka-san said the ghoul that attacked him didn't try to kill him. That he incapacitated him then rushed towards the south entrance. Tanaka seemed to think that the ghoul was on some sort of mission."

"We were supposed to be at the south entrance," Seidou muttered, tentatively poking himself back into the conversation.

Akira nodded with a frown. "That's what I thought too, but it doesn't mean anything. Tanaka-san was severely injured and who knows what that ghoul was doing."

"He said the ghoul was distressed for some reason? Did he say anymore?"

"He said the ghoul was young with white hair." Amon's expression remained unchanged. White hair? I don't remember seeing a ghoul like that. "And his mask was some sort of creepy grimace."

Amon jerked his arms out of their crossed position, sending his nearby crutches clattering to the floor. Seidou jumped at the sound, nearly toppling out of his hospital bed.

"What?"

Akira glanced from the crutches back to Amon's pale face. "He said the mask was an exposed smile or something. Do you know who it is?"

Amon nodded tersely, his head bobbing once. "We've met before when—" He broke off, glancing in Akira's direction before altering the conversation. "When he still had dark hair. He goes by One-Eye, but others used to call him Eyepatch. He always had strange ideas about ghouls and humans coexisting."

"Do you think he has anything to do with this? With Nagachika going missing?"

"I'm not sure, but there's no harm in looking into it."

Kaneki tried to keep his heartbeats even as he trailed after Rakko, but each time Hide shifted or bounced in his arms, his heart rate rocketed.

I have to kill him. That's the only way to save Hide.

"Oh, Ooooone-Eye," Rakko drawled, glancing over his shoulder with a wicked smile. "Aren't you going to tell me why your little birdie is still alive? I thought you said you were going to be the one to take care of him."

I can't lose Hide again. Not again. Never again.

"If I'd had known you'd be this gentle, I would have killed him myself." Kaneki's grip tightened around Hide, who was being remarkably still and silent. His earlier suggestion to play dead seemed like an increasingly better alternative with each step they took towards Ayato.

"You'll do no such thing. You already disobeyed orders by harming him."

"Aww, but he was a wriggly one. It was the only way to catch him." Rakko offered another wink in Hide's direction. "Maybe you were right about him being more than a simple human."

Kaneki gritted his teeth. He ached to say more or do more, but Rakko's kagune was out, twitching and tickling the air near Hide's cheek. Rakko claimed the tendrils were there for Kaneki's protection, but they were to keep Kaneki subdued. A single flick of any one of his rinkaku tendrils could decapitate Hide.

They walked in silence for a few more moments. Kaneki and Hide exchanged wide-eyed glances each time Rakko turned back around. Hide kept an eye roaming around the darkened corridor, trying to get a better feel for his location. If a miracle happened and he had the chance to escape, he'd rather not crawl right back into the lion's den.

The tiny group stopped at a heavy door. Rakko knocked once before pushing through. He recalled his kagune, but not before offering a Kaneki a frosty smile that seemed to say "I wouldn't."

Kaneki and Hide followed reluctantly behind. Kaneki glanced around at the other occupants of the room and felt his stomach twist. Although Ayato was the most concerning obstacle, there were several more bodies that would make escape difficult. In the corner slouched Naki and his bodyguards while several other ghouls glanced up with mild interest at the new visitors.

"Good evening, Ayato-san. As you requested, I have retrieved One-Eye."

Ayato flicked his unimpressed gaze from Rakko to Kaneki. "According to this one, I heard that you were pretty damn useless during this raid. For your sake, I hope he's wrong."

Ayato slipped out of his chair and stalked towards the three. Kaneki tried to pull Hide closer to himself, but Hide wriggled out of his grasp with a loosely aimed kick. He tumbled to the ground, wincing in pain, but struggled into a more dignified position, glaring defiantly at the ghouls around him.

What are you doing, Hide? This isn't the time for bluffing!

"What do you want with me? Who are you?"

Ayato blinked at Hide, as if seeing the human for the first time. "And what's with this talking piece of shit?"

Rakko moved towards Ayato's side, whispering in his ear while keeping his gaze locked with Kaneki. Ayato scoffed after his briefing, looking even less impressed with Hide.

"Ghoul-killer? Are you serious? This looks like a waste of my time." Ayato's growl suggested that he did not like to waste time.

"That's what I thought too, but One-Eye has been very…concerned about this human. If a ghoul as capable of One-Eye is worried about this Dove, then I thought it would be wise to inform you."

Ayato narrowed his eyes at Kaneki. "You should explain yourself before I take this to Tatara."

Kaneki took a deep breath and opened his mouth, though he was at a loss for what to say next. He glanced to the side at the other Aogiri Tree members. They were watching, but still at an uninterested distance. Ayato and Rakko were the only ones close enough to hurt Hide, but if Kaneki acted fast eno—

"Hey! What do you want from me?"

Hide… Stop before you get yourself killed!

Rakko quirked an eyebrow at Hide's audacity. "The bird's bold, I'll give it that."

Ayato crossed his arms, still unimpressed. "Or maybe just an idiot."

Hide cast a quick glance at Kaneki's intense expression, urging him to stay silent, before taking a shallow breath through his nose.

I'm going to regret this.

"You do look familiar though. The way you called me idiot just now, could have sworn I've heard it before…"

Huh? Does he know about Touka? Kaneki thought back to their earlier conversation; he wouldn't doubt it, but mentioning her in front of Ayato had to be stupid luck.

Ayato pivoted sharply, taking a threatening step towards Hide. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't happen to have a sister, do you? Worked at a coffee shop? She was really cute too, but I haven't seen her since the Doves came. Such a shame, though I guess I know why."

Hide—no no no no no...

Rakko didn't understand the reference, but the sudden fury that surged through Ayato's trembling form caused even him to take a hasty step backwards. He watched Ayato cautiously as he recalled his ukaku kagune. A twinge of uncertainty flickered across Rakko's features for the first time that evening.

"Shut the fuck up!" Ayato seethed, lashing out at Hide with a hard kick. Hide caught the boot in his stomach and cried out in pain, curling in on himself. Kaneki stiffened immediately, suppressing the urge to destroy everything in the room. Ayato reared back as if strike again, but caught himself with a hiccupy pant.

Instead, he swung his fiery glare in Kaneki's direction. "Get rid of him. Now. I don't care what you do—just get him out!"

Kaneki nodded weakly, pulling a gasping Hide back into his arms. He backed towards the exit when Rakko regained his composure.

"Ayato-san, perhaps we should first hear about this bird's other crimes before having One-Eye…dispose of him."

"It doesn't matter what he's done," Ayato shot a glare in Rakko's direction and the latter lowered his gaze. "He's not going to be alive much longer anyway."

"If I may though—"

Kaneki clutched Hide tighter, desperately striving to keep his steps even as he neared the door. Could this be it? Was it that easy to escape? He just had to get out before Rakko made things worse.

"Don't test me." Still, Rakko's whispering refused to leave Ayato's mind. He shifted his attention back towards Kaneki and Hide, lips pursed in curiosity.

"Wait, Kaneki!" Kaneki closed and slowly opened his eyes before turning back towards Ayato. Ayato stepped towards them, grabbing a fistful of blond hair and yanking back to better see Hide's bruised face. Kaneki's fingers pressed harder into Hide's uniform.

"What ghoul did you kill?"

"He killed an o—"

"I want to hear it from him. To see if he even knows what he did."

Make up a name. Say something. Don't say Touka.

Rakko grinned, crossing his arms as he locked gazes with Hide. "It better be someone important after all this. If not, I want to kill the bird myself."

Hide swallowed thickly before steeling his expression. "Jason."

What…?

Ayato parted his lips, confused by the unexpected answer. Rakko seemed similarly confused—after all, they all had heard the ghost stories about the psychotic Dove that drove a motorcycle through a fourth-floor window.

"What?"

Avoiding Kaneki's pleading stare for him to shut up, Hide continued. "I tailed Jason and put a tracker on the bottom of his shoe. He didn't know I was a human, since I disguised myself as a ghoul," he explained in a rush of words. "I reported his location to the CCG. That's how they knew about the Aogiri base in the 11th Ward. Otherwise our attack would have been weeks later."

The room fell silent before a shriek from Naki shattered the stunned calm. His kakugan blazed red as his kagune exploded from his back and wrapped around his right arm.

"What did you say about Big Bro?!"

Thank you for reading (if any of you are still out there)! I'll try to finish this up by the end of the year, but we'll see.

Here, have an exit poll: Why am I a horrible person? 1. That tasteless Root A reference; 2. That awful cliffhanger; 3. The fact that I haven't updated in two years.