Chapter 18: Momentum

{Apartments: December 8th, 2020, 9:15am}

Nishiki sighed as he worked on cooking breakfast for him and Kimi who was sitting at the table adjacent to the kitchen, her mind consuming her as she held a cup of coffee in her hands. Things had been going well since they'd come to Shibuya, and the only downside they'd experienced, was Kureto Hiragi – or arrow-brows, as Guren called him – and his demeaning behavior towards not only them, but to the people who were supposed to be their teammates. He focused on mixing up the eggs in the pan, cooking them thoroughly enough so that Kimi wouldn't get sick while he himself was waiting for his suppressant pill to kick in so that he could also eat with her.

Without question, he doubted that he would ever forget the expression on Yuuichiro's face at some of the things that Kureto had brought up. It took little to no imagination to know that the boy had been through something horrific that had been left unsaid by those who knew his past better than others. Nishiki frowned a bit as he recalled the fearful look in the boy's vibrant emerald eyes, and the look in Mika's eyes when he'd stepped between Kureto and his brother, his power over ice taking hold as the temperature in the room dropped and ice spread across the ground, the marks of his Demon coming into view as he settled a deadly glare upon the Lieutenant General.

It was, without question, the moment that Nishiki knew the people around him were multiple different things; from kind, to a bit psychotic, energetic, funny when the situation arose, loyal, brave, true, and stronger than they appeared. But above all of those things, these people: were a family. And now, the former humans and Ghouls of Anteiku, were also part of that family.

"How's your training going?" Nishiki asked as Kimi looked to him.

"Fine, Mito says I'm doing really well. Apparently Kratikeya and I have a close bond." The pale-brunette shrugged.

"I think that means you two are going to be just fine. Besides, she is kind of attached to your body," he mentioned, looking at the ornate peacock feather tattoos that went up the sides of Kimi's legs.

"Right… how about you and Remashita?" the glasses-wearing Ghoul sighed, looking at the arm-cuff he had on.

"We get along well enough I suppose. She's the right type of weapon for me definitely, just like Kratikeya is for you." Kimi smiled.

"Touka and Grimm are doing good too, according to Mika. Mitsuba has been helping with her training too, and Hide and Leviathan are starting to get along, just so long as he doesn't shake the weapon anymore," she explained.

"Really? Well, that's good… how about Hinami?" Kimi took a sip of her coffee.

"She's doing fine, Sayuri said that she's practically a little Wonder Woman," the red-haired girl said as Nishiki laughed, spooning the eggs onto two plates for them.

"Well, I can't wait to see her in combat, I'm certain she'll impress us." Nishiki sat down the plate in front of Kimi who smiled as he sat across from her.

"Thank you for cooking… by the way… how are the suppressants doing for you?" she inquired.

"They're fine so far. I do feel a little drowsy in the mornings after taking them, but I'm fine after a little while." Kimi nodded, her gaze going down to her plate as she picked up a spoon and began to eat.

"What do you think about what Kaneki told us about his Cursed Gear?" she asked. Nishiki took a bite of his eggs, and then looked down.

"It's… strange. To think that old-man Yoshimura is inside that Cursed Gear that Kaneki is going to be using… but, I suppose it's poetic in a way." Kimi glanced to him.

"How is it poetic?" she questioned.

"He's always said he would watch over us, and even though he's no longer living… Yoshimura is still going to be doing what he swore he would. So, in many ways, it's poetic because he can continue to do what he loved: watch after his family." Kimi smiled softly, her eyes burning just a fraction as she looked down.

"Really? I hope your right Nishiki… because… for me… learning that hurt a little," she stated.

"How so?" the pale-brunette watched the girl who took in a deep breath.

"It's because… here we are, living our lives in Shibuya… starting a new chapter even… but every time I think about the past, I get this painful ache in my chest that won't go away… and I realized what it was recently…" Nishiki reached across the table, grasping his wife's hands.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice calm.

"It's because… we… and…" she fumbled a bit and he smiled to her.

"You don't have to talk about it, I know it hurts," he stated.

"Isn't it… strange? How we only know how much we love someone… when they're gone? Why is that?" tears welled up in her eyes and he stood up, moving around the table before he wrapped the woman in his arms as she began to cry.

"It's not strange, and I don't know the answer to be honest… but, the way I view it… is that the reason it hurts, is because those people are not present to take the next leg of the journey with us. We think of all the memories we made with them, and then we consider… that as we step forward, we'll never be able to make new memories with them. So, it hurts, and we miss them, but it doesn't mean we didn't know how much we loved them…" Nishiki paused as the woman took in a shuddering breath.

"Then why? It feels like I have this gaping hole in my chest where my heart should be, and it hurts… when I think about it, I can't stop crying, and I don't want this… I don't want to feel this way," she admitted, sobbing like a small child as he held her in his arms.

"The reason it hurts, the reason we feel all those things… is because our hearts and minds are reminding us of how amazing and impactful those people are, but, you know something that Mika told me recently?" he crouched, taking her hands as she looked to him.

"What did he tell you?" she asked.

"Mika told me that we feel this pain, and it reminds us that those people are still living. They exist within our hearts and in our minds… our memories keep them alive. So long as we remember, no matter how painful… they're never dead, they still exist, right here with us and are never far. All we have to do is look inside ourselves to find them." Kimi wiped her eyes, tears still falling as she looked into her husband's eyes.

"Thank you… Nishiki… we better hurry up and eat… before it gets cold," she said as he nodded and stood, returning to his seat as they began to change the subject.

"So, did you hear what happened with Ayato recently?" Kimi shook her head.

"No, I didn't," she admitted.

"Apparently, he tripped down a flight of stairs trying to wave at Akane as he walked down them, and rolled right to her feet." Kimi started laughing.

"He's okay right?" she asked, humor lacing her once mournful tone.

"He's fine, but apparently his pride is severally damaged, possibly beyond repair." The red-haired girl gave out a loud laugh at the statement.

"Well, hopefully Akane can help him. do you think he likes her?" she inquired.

"Oh, I don't doubt that, and I think Akane has a thing for him too." Kimi smiled.

"Then we'll just have to see what they do I guess," she stated as Nishiki nodded.

"Yea, but I wouldn't worry, they'll admit it when their ready."

{Yuu & Mika's Apartment: 9:45am}

Training had been scheduled for after noon-time hours due to a heavy snowfall and a few meetings that the others from Guren's squadron had to attend; therefore, many of the fourteen teenagers were taking the opportunity to sleep in a bit late. Shinoa was one of these people, and she was currently curled up against her boyfriend who was still sleeping, soundly ignoring the chilled world outside of the apartment as she watched him continue to slumber, blissfully unaware of his surroundings. When he was like this, Shinoa could always tell how young he truly was, only a child, much like herself. They were fighting a war that even adults were hardly winning; however, there were changes in the tides that she could feel had started to come in at long last, and that had come with the victory of the Tokyo Raid, and the better control Yuu and Mika had on their Seraph sides. She hummed, gently reaching up to brush the black-haired boy's bangs away from his face, caressing his cheek as she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to his lips.

"Wake up sleepy head, it's almost ten in the morning," Shinoa said as she kissed him once more and frowned as he continued to sleep before she huffed and placed another kiss to his lips.

In the second that she did, the periwinkle-haired girl found herself flipped over onto her back, the black-haired boy hovering above her as he locked his rich emerald eyes with her tangerine ones and then promptly leaned down to place a series of kisses on her lips, cheeks, and the sides of her throat, causing her to begin laughing at the slight tickling sensation that came to her senses as she tried to playfully pull the boy off, musing his already messy hair as he laid atop her, both of them breathing in a bit heavily as they kept smiles upon their faces, laughing breathlessly.

"Good morning…" a smile was sent her way as Shinoa reached up, brushing her fingers through his hair.

"Morning to you too, sleepy head," she stated.

"What was with the wake-up call this morning?" the girl shrugged at his question.

"Not sure, just felt like getting you up like that, I suppose," she told him with a smile as he rolled his eyes.

"Uhuh… pervert…" she laughed.

"Cherry boy," Shinoa said with a smirk.

"That's it!"

Shinoa found the boy tickling her sides as she began laughing, tears coming to her eyes as she struggled against him, trying to get him to stop as she pleaded, laughter bubbling up from her as he joined her as she retaliated, getting his sides as well as they rolled, falling off the bed and onto the floor, the sudden vertigo and impact causing the two to land in a slight awkward position of Shinoa being atop him, their faces only inches apart, her shirt hanging off her shoulder while the fall had managed to pull his own shirt up a bit. The two of them found the situation somewhat embarrassing, and it only grew worse when the door to the bedroom opened.

"Hey, what was that – "Mitsuba paused in her question as she looked at the two of them and Mika peered over her head at the state of his brother and his girlfriend.

"Did we interrupt something?" Mika asked as Shinoa looked to him as the black-haired boy did the same.

"Not really… just the two of us learning how gravity works is all…" Mitsuba eyed the two of them, a blush coming to her features.

"Can't the two of you do this when there aren't others in the house?" she asked, a glare on her features.

"Why Mitsu! I thought that you and Mika were well past that point!" the paler blonde slapped a hand over his face at this and shook his head.

"Just get up you two, we have training this afternoon, and tomorrow we have to meet up with Guren to get our uniforms," Mika said as he pulled Mitsuba back and closed the door.

"Did you have to embarrass Mitsuba?" Shinoa giggled as she looked at the boy again.

"Come on, you need to loosen up some," she said.

"Shinoa… I was wondering something…" the girl looked into his eyes as he glanced to the side, a blush apparent on his features.

"What is it?" she asked as he glanced away.

"Um… do you ever think about… having a family?" she frowned, rising an eyebrow.

"We do have a family. You, me, Mika, Mitsuba, Yoichi, Akane, Kimizuki, Guren, Sayuri, Mito, Goshi, Shigure, Shinya, Kaneki, Touka, and all the others from Anteiku too. If you think about it, our family has gotten pretty big," Shinoa told him as she reached forward, brushing his bangs from his face.

"Yea, it has… but I wasn't talking about the family as a whole… I meant… the two of us…" the girl looked to him, and her eyes widened in realization as she felt a deep blush come to her features.

"You… mean us having… children… right?" she inquired, stuttering just a bit.

"R-Right…"

The silence that enveloped them became unbearably uncomfortable as they remained where they were on the floor of Yuuichiro's bedroom, tangled up in the blankets from the bed due to their earlier fall while they could hear the two blondes working in the kitchen. It was a type of silence that was humbling in a strange way, only because it caused them both to consider their current situation in the world they lived in. All the people around them were counted as family, and in many ways, that was exactly what all of them had become. Though broken, and made up of strays and random people who had stumbled into their lives and ended up sticking with them for the long haul: all twenty of them had become a family.

Shinoa looked to the boy who had his gaze averted, embarrassment apparent on his features as he laid there, looking as though he had several conflicting emotions going through him at this point. Tangerine eyes softened as she looked at the boy and sighed as she reached forward to caress his cheek, causing his once averted emerald eyes to look into her own orange-toned ones. The question had been randomized, and somewhat confusing to her; however, she had read his intentions loud and clear, and at this point, all she could do was smile to him.

"I think I'd like that… the two of us having children one day…" a slightly surprised expression came to his features.

"W-Well… I mean… we don't have to rush… do we? Um…" Shinoa smiled as she leaned forward, placing a kiss to his lips which he returned with slight hesitation.

"No, we don't have to rush… but I do wonder why you all of the sudden wanted to ask about something like that?" she questioned.

"I just… after Guren and Sayuri were engaged… Mika brought up me proposing to you, and I kinda… started thinking about it more… and well..." Shinoa smiled.

"You were starting to think about having a family with me… about us getting married and having kids… it's sweet… that you want to make an honest woman out of me, and a little old fashioned…" he puffed his cheeks out a bit in the way he did when he was irritated.

"Hey! Don't make fun of me! I'm serious! And – "the girl kissed him again, his eyes growing wide as she deepened the kiss which he quickly returned, reaching up to thread his fingers through her hair before she moved back, staring into his eyes as she did.

"I'm not making fun of you, and if you are asking me to be your wife, then of course I will. I love you, and I have no intention of letting you go," she told him.

"Same here, Shinoa…" he sat up, pulling her into his arms as she rested against his chest, curled up in his lap while they took in the quiet of the room.

"A fallen Angel and a half-demon falling in love… it seems so ridiculous, doesn't it?" he shrugged.

"Not for our world it doesn't. The world we live in is broken Shinoa… so… broken creatures like us finding one another shouldn't be that big of a surprise," he muttered, nuzzling her hair.

"I guess you have a point. But I don't think we're broken… I think we're whole, but fractured…" he sighed.

"Maybe we are… but just promise me something," the black-haired boy said as he looked into the girl's eyes.

"What is it?" he smiled a bit.

"Whatever comes our way… let's face it together… don't forget the promise we made…" she smiled, reaching into the collar of his short to pull out the chain that the black ring still resided on.

"In your heart keep me close… it means that even if we're away from one another, we're always together. But that doesn't mean we should forget the contract we made with one another that day, okay? Yuu?" he nodded.

"Right, just let's make sure we don't end up falling at the feet of this world, alright?" Shinoa smiled, closing her eyes as she curled closer to him.

"Okay… I'll be with you through all of it, I promise…" he held her tighter to him, closing his eyes.

"I'll be there too, you won't go it alone, Shinoa…"

The two of them remained that way for as long as they could, knowing that even though the words weren't a spell or incantation: they held their own power. Those promises, the whispered oaths they shared between one another, was the very thread that bound them together and had let them survive everything they'd endured thus far, and neither of them had any intentions of letting things fall apart now, not when they had already come this far together.

{Tailor's Office: 11:40am}

"Is the tailor having a tantrum?" asked Goshi as another loud crash went off behind the doors in the room the tailor worked in while he and the others stood outside of the room and in the main room full of sketches and mannequins full of pins and needles.

"No, she's… processing the additionally things she needs to do to the uniforms for the Ghouls to use their Kagune without it looking weird…" a bang rocked the room and Mito eyed the door as it rattled.

"Are you sure?" she questioned.

"THAT IS IT! I HAVE DONE IT!" came a thickly accented voice from behind the traditional sliding door.

"I believe we have a eureka here," Guren stated as he looked at the clock on the wall.

"Aren't the kids coming tomorrow to get their uniforms though?" the Lieutenant Colonel sighed as he went to the sliding door and knocked.

"Hey, E- "he was cut off as the door slid open and a tiny woman poked her head out. She had short black hair, large round glasses, and a slightly big nose, and mischievous dark brown eyes.

"No need to worry darling, everything will be ready by tomorrow!" with that the door slammed shut and Guren sighed.

"Has she ever let us down before?" asked Shinya with a smile.

"Nope, that's why she works as head tailor for the Army. She knows how to make the perfect combination of materials to keep our uniforms together… especially when it comes to the Cursers with Gifts." Sayuri smiled to her fiancé.

"And Ghouls, apparently," she said.

"True…" a series of buzzing noises came from the room and Goshi rose an eyebrow.

"I still wonder why we hear power tools in there every time she starts working," he said in dismay.

"Let her work, we're just waiting for the uniforms." The door creaked open near Shigure who looked to see a familiar black-haired woman with coffee colored eyes.

"Hey Irimi, what are you doing here?" asked Sayuri as the Ghoul entered the room.

"I was sent to deliver a few measurements to the tailor. This is the correct room, right?" Guren nodded.

"Yep, what did you need to deliver?" he inquired.

"Measurements… apparently the tailor forgot to write the proper measurements for one of the boots for the shoemaker…" she held up a few pieces of paper and the sliding door next to her opened.

"Thank you darling! How is the uniform fitting you?" the black-haired Ghoul looked to the tiny woman.

"Just fine, thank you. Here are the measurements," she stated as the woman adjusted her glasses and took the papers.

"Oh, yes, I see where I made the mistake. How silly of me! Now, come and get these and the others in one-hour darling, thank you goodbye!" with that the door slid closed again, the woman vanishing.

"I'm going to assume that's normal for her?" Irimi asked.

"Yep…" the sound of power tools went off in the other room.

"And that is too?" she inquired.

"Sure is. She's been with us since Shinya and I were about nineteen…" the blonde-haired man smiled.

"Now that I think about it, wasn't she the one who made Yuu and Mika's clothes at first because you weren't certain what their Gifts were and didn't want their clothing disintegrating due to any over reactions?" Shinya questioned.

"Seriously?" Guren shrugged.

"Yuu is a Fire user and Mika is an Ice user… when I first brought them to Shibuya, I had no clue what they could do, so I asked the tailor to make clothing for them that would hold up against training. Once they got a little more comfortable with people, I brought them to her for their training clothes… especially once they started it formally. She's the one who also modified the boy's chokers from the Vampire City," he explained.

"Seems a bit excessive… but… I guess you had your reasons." Irimi looked around the room as she spoke.

Since their arrival in Shibuya, Irimi had become a clerical staff member who acted as Shinya's assistant and she did her job quite well. She was dressed in the same uniform as most of the Army, but she had a red chord that went from the front of her uniform to the shoulder which displayed her as a special service staff member who would be available for combat purposes. Having her be employed under Shinya's directive had been a failsafe plan to keep the woman safe from any schemes that Kureto could come up with, and to ease suspicion within their ranks of the Ghouls being dangerous. Guren sighed as he started towards the door to leave and lit a cigarette, causing Sayuri to frown as she wasn't fond of his habit.

"Lieutenant Colonel, pardon me for saying so, but those are very unhealthy," Irimi stated.

"Yea, I know. Yuu, Mika, Sayuri, and a few others read me the riot act for it to. But, it's my choice so I'd rather not hear abo – "Guren was cut off as the sound of wheels came through and the sliding door next to him opened, the tiny woman appearing again as she took the cigarette from his mouth and snuffed it out, tossing it in the trash.

"No smoking in the tailor office!" the door shut again, and the Lieutenant Colonel gawked at where the woman had just been while the others broke into a fit of laughter.

"Well, I believe that's all there is to say about it," said Sayuri as she patted her fiancé's shoulder and walked out the door as the others followed, Irimi bowing as she left and Shinya smiled as he looked at his long-time friend.

"Guren? You with us?" the Lieutenant Colonel sighed.

"That was so not cool!" Guren responded as the sound of power tools resumed while Shinya shook his head and his childhood friend gave the sliding door a scowl before he sighed and followed the others out.

"You know how she is. I mean, she took father's pipe from him when he tried to smoke in her office once… now he never even dares to when he goes to her." the black-haired twenty-six-year-old rolled his eyes.

"Yea, yea… let's just hope she's got those uniforms ready for tomorrow," Guren stated.

"Why are you so eager to put those kids on a mission?" the Lieutenant Colonel smiled.

"Well… remember those contacts I have in Italy who I inquired on Kaneki's family about?" Shinya felt his eyes grow wide.

"You're kidding me…" he paused in his walking as Guren shook his head.

"Nope, we found three of them. Someone got them out of Tokyo and over into Europe where the virus had already been let loose and dissipated. Because of that, I'd be willing to say that we're dealing with some of the top people they were looking for because as soon as they received the pictures, they contacted us back telling us over radio that they had three of the people we'd inquired about, and that a fourth one had dropped them off before going to handle some business of his own," Guren explained.

"Where was this?" Shinya's sharp crystal-blue eyes met Guren's burgundy ones.

"Venice, Italy."

{…..}

Can you tell me what is real? Cause I've lost my way again…

{….}

Author's Note: I'm sorry for not having the last two chapters up. My uncle passed away unexpectedly, I'm in a bit of a writer's rut, and I'm also moving my furniture into an apartment, so... things are really hectic. Anyways, it would seem the first mission is about to begin… sounds exciting, but kind of scary at the same time. Also, I will give one free question to anyone who can tell me who the tailor is, as she is not an OC but comes from a movie. I wanted to put her in here because she has a role to play in some of the other stories I have as well. I hope you guys are enjoying the story as we are almost out of the second arc and will soon begin the second one. I will be looking for your reviews!

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.

Chapter 19: Woven