This is just tying all the rest of the side stories necessary up before we move to the final faze of the 2nd raid arc.

Rize and Kanou Part 1

This isn't very fun... Rize pouted to herself as she walked down a now blood splattered hallway. None of these ghouls or humans really excited her as much as she hoped. Now, of course she really wasn't here for them, she was here for that damned doctor, but still, she wanted to get her blood pumping. Looking at her however, you'd imagine she was having the time of her life. She was covered in red, heavy blood with a stench so strong that even a human could find her by sniffing her out if they tried. Severed heads and limbs laid strewn around her. Belonging to ghouls they were things she'd never touch, but she enjoyed breaking them all the same. I suppose it's time to get down to business...

The sound of foot steps sounded down the hallway once more and she turned, looking on as shadows stained along the blood stained walls.

"Dammit! Where the hell are we going?" An unidentified voice asked to whoever would answer.

"I don't know!" Came an answer in the sound of a female voice, "Shit! Just out of this place!"

"You fuckin' nuts!? Even if we get outta here, Tatara is just gonna come and find us all again. He'll kill us!" A newcomer spoke.

"If you think anyone is surviving this you're out of your fuckin' mind..."

Rize licked her lips behind her mask as they rounded the corner and they came to a complete stop, some comically bumping into the others. She couldn't see behind those smiling demon masks, but she could imagine, byt the sound of the sudden gag in their throats, they weren't feeling very confident about their escape anymore.

It took them a while, but the woman, who was more than likely the leader, finally spoke up, no doubt noticing that Rize had attacked indiscriminately both CCG and Aogiri. The eerie light probably didn't help her courage either. "W-who are you?" It was a shaky, quiet breath but Rize heard.

Rize though, didn't answer. Maybe it was to entertain herself, but she simply tilted her head and let long, purple locks fall to one side, the smiling doll mask making the image all the more eerie. She could tell that the girl, even from behind the mask and underneath that big red cloak, was trembling. Rize giggled then, a childish, sweet giggle that added to that fear that she was fearing... The girl didn't need to worry about a thing though, Rize needed her for something other than fun.

"Awww, don't be scared..." She coed sweetly as she softly made her way to the girl who had gone silent with fear. Rize was careful to step over the bodies that she had strewn about the corridor. On the ceiling, the walls, everywhere.

She then cupped gentle hands behind the girls ears and pulled her close. "I need you alive."

Rize could then feel the girl relax underneath her grasp, a sigh of relief escaping from behind her tight lips. Then Rize chuckled lightly. "Your friends though... Not so much."

"W-what!" She cried out. Her plea fell on deaf ears. Rize released her red tendrils. Spurting out of he lower back, just above the tail bone, and launched them towards the ghouls behind her. It was like chasing down fly's to her. They didn't even bother fighting back, they just ran about while the binge eater scrambled them like eggs.

It was done in a matter of moments. The girl in her graps was shaking, and Rize could swear she could hear her sobbing. "Hey now, don't cry..." she soothed, dragging a soft hand down the side of her face. "You don't need die... As long as you tell me what I want to know... Then you can go home... or wherever it is you want to go. Kay?"

The girl was still trembling, but she managed out a reply. "K-kay..."

"Good!" Rize chimed happily. "Now, what I need you from is simple." She explained, then leaned into her ear and whispered, "Where is doctor Kanou?"

Nashiro, Kurona, and Yoshimura

Nashiro held Kurona tightly as she slouched against her twin... Truth be told, Nashiro wished that someone could hold her as well. Never, even since they were little girls and Nashiro had hair as black as Kurona's had the twins been alone. Now that was changing.

Papa was leaving, that's what he told them earlier. He wasn't coming back, so he sent them away. Of course, the two girls weren't stupid, they Knew what leaving meant. The last of his research was here, he wasn't going to let the CCG destroy it, and he couldn't allow himself to be captured. He was erasing data and setting fire to his lab. He had a single handgun with him. It was a wonder how he got his hands on it, considering Japanese gun laws, but when you are as rich as papa almost nothing is out of reach.

They were walking in a hallway surrounded by corpses. You'd think that one would avoid gory red hallways, such as the one they were in. But that only meant the battle was farther from them.

But they didn't know why they were walking... Where could they go? They were lost children now. Nothing more than orphans... once again.

Then, the sound of footsteps echoed and Nashiro stiffened. She was certain no one was alive. It was funny, Ghouls, she was certain she could handle, but the CCG... That was a different story. Q-bullets made a difference.

Kurona began to hold tighter to her. "Are we... Going to die, too" she asked. "Like papa?"

Nashiro didn't respond. She didn't know what to tell her. Despite what their current situation made things seem, Nashiro was not ever the one to comfort... Well, she wasn't good at it. Her only acknowledgement of it was her returning a tight grip.

Then, from the shadows, appeared... an old man.

He resembled papa just a bit, Kurona noted. Though he had a bit more wrinkles than their pseudo father. His hair was completely gray, combed back, and almost shined in what little light illuminated the follicles. His eye's appeared to be closed from what Nashiro could see, but she couldn't tell from the distance. He wore a tattered, baggy cloak that dragged behind him.

"Oh dear..." he spoke, looking at them, his voice making Nashiro jump. "What happened to you two? You don't look like members of Aogiri."

Nashiro didn't speak. She'd learned, over life, not to trust others. She and Kurona both had learned that. They learned not to trust humans. They wanted no part of their world anymore. Only humans cared for people that they didn't know, only humans were so open, and this old man, who was undoubtedly a ghoul, was acting too human.

"You know..." he began as he continued to look at them, smiling now. It was a kind smile, it made the wrinkles on his face move in accordance. "I've had experience with your type before." He spoke as he moved his finger to point to one, now open, eye.

Nashiro remained silent.

"I understand your apprehensiveness towards me... It's a good thing to have. That's how you survive." He paused. "I imagine you have someone to get back to?"

"No..." She spoke, finally. "Not anymore..."

The man's expression changed, the wrinkles on his face began to droop and his lips angled downward. "I see..." he spoke, sympathy evident in his voice. "My daughter was once all alone like you two. Well... she thought she was alone." He then smiled and looked towards the girls. "She found her way back to me though..."

"We don't have anyone to go back to though..." Kurona spoke now, lifting her face away from her sisters body and laying her own eye's upon the man now. "Papa is going to be... Going to leave soon. He was all we had left."

"I'm sorry..." The elder spoke and let the silence fall over them.

Nashiro was looking at him, expecting something from him. She didn't know what. She wanted him to say something else. But, at the same time not. Not until he said it.

"Why don't you come with me?"

"What?" They said simultaneously, giving one another a quick glance.

"It's not easy being alone. I've learned that long ago. As safe as isolation seems, in the end you'll only find that you're missing the company of others." He reached out his hand and smiled. "My name is Yoshimura... What's yours?"

Nashiro looked at Yoshimura, mouth agape, a similar expression on her sisters face. She expected inner conflict. She wanted inner conflict. But there was nothing. Nothing but an urge, a heavy feeling telling her to take his hand.

"Nashiro and Kurona..." They synchronized.

Tatara

He could breath again, but that was about it, and it hurt to even do that.

Then, hoping to make it easier for air to inflate his lungs, which were pushing themselves, he tore off that crimson mask and began to take in deep, labored breaths. He'd heal completely, and the Owl knew that. But, more importantly, what they both knew is that before that would happen he would be killed by the CCG. Tatara knew and accepted it as a fact. It was fate. He knew that this was what he deserved- he knew that what he was doing was evil. He just viewed it as necessary evil.

Even so... I'd rather not be killed lying on my back.

With that Tatara began to roll over unto his side, releasing a groan of pain. It was little in comparison to the anguish his rib cage was going through. It was like his ribs were bendy straws and the pain in his groin resonated deep. It hurt, but he would be damned before he would be killed lying on his back. He caught his body, using one arm to keep himself from rolling on to his stomach and began to push himself up.

This time he screamed, but he continued it all the way through. Unfortunately, not even that was the hardest part. When he looked up at the only door way into or out of the room, his heart sank. He would never let it be known, but he was actually scared. His face didn't betray a single emotion though as he stared into familiar eyes.

The body attached to those eye's was a Japanese man. His hair combed back and his jaw firm and set as he- and his his brown haired subordinate looked on. Houji...

"At least let me get on my feet before you kill me..." Tatara asked, as a dying wish of sorts.

There was a silence and then Houji finally spoke. "Take your time."

Rize and Kanou part 2

She'd gotten rid of the girl... Not killed, gotten rid of. Who knew, huh? That Rize Kamishiro had a conscience at all? Not even she did, honestly. But, to be fair, she didn't particularly care about the girl. Not as she was currently staring face to face with Kanou, inside this burning room.

"So, you're burning your research?" she asked, mocking interest in the mans affairs.

"Yes." was his reply. "I can't let the CCG get their hands on it... Who knows how they'd botch it? I also can't let them find me though. That's why I've decided to take my own life. I no longer have an options. I can't continue my research with out any data..." He paused, maintaining eye contact with the sadist of a woman. "But even so, I wan't to thank you. Without you. None of this would have been possible."

Rize almost twitched at that. "Oh my, doctor. You're so kind..."

"And, I'd like to ask another Favour of you..." He spoke.

"Oh, and what's that?"

"After you kill me. Don't go after those two twins. Their suffering is my fault too."

Rize smiled.

Angel of Death

Kaneki was in the inner courtyard now. It was reminiscent of the time with Ayato half a year ago. The blue light of the moon reigned down upon everything it could illuminating the courtyard with everything in it. The brick, the plants, the flowers, the man clad in white at the opposite end, and the field of wilted flowers that surrounded him... But most people would call them bodies.