Chapter 15

Four years later…

Hide poured up two cups of coffee and set one on the table for Kaneki. He then placed a plate of sliced leg meat on the table at a new spot. Instead of two chairs, there were three and had been for four years. "Breakfast!"

Kaneki walked into the kitchen, tying his white tie and situating his white coat. His black hair that was showing barely at the roots had now grown out making his hair two tones black on the top and white on the bottom. For three years, Ken cared for their son. But when Kou turned four, they enrolled him in a daycare provided by the CCG; so Kou could be social with other kids. Hide hated how Kou has had no interaction with kids his own age.

Kou was a sweet kid. He loved to play, but he was like his mother. Kou was shy and Hide worried that Kou would have problems communicating with other kids his age.

For a while Kaneki was asked to teach ghoul behavior to cadets. Who better to teach ghoul behavior than a ghoul himself? But a few days ago, Arima asked him to take another task on top of returning to teaching. Kaneki was to be given a specific set of cadets who had undergone a surgery to implant quinque within themselves. Kaneki was against the experiment, but with some convincing, the CCG got Kaneki to become the squad leader.

"How do I look?" Kaneki asked Hide.

Hide smiled and kissed Ken. "Handsome as always. Now, where's our son? I don't want to be late dropping him off. Kou!"

Kou ran into the room and hugged Hide's leg. Kou had black hair like Kaneki, but as Hide said, he had Hide's big brown eyes. He hugged Hide's leg.

Hide grunted as he picked up Kou. "You're getting so big."

Kou laughed and hugged his daddy's neck.

Kaneki gently kissed Kou's cheek before kissing his husband. "I really need to go. I'm just going to take my coffee to go."

"You sure?" Hide asked.

"Positive." Kaneki looked at the time. Kaneki picked up his coffee and poured it into a tumbler to take with him.

Kou pouted. "I don't wanna go Mommy."

Kaneki gently took Kou from Hide to hold his son. "I know."

Hide watched as red kagune sprouted from Kaneki's back and wrapped around the two.

From what Kaneki taught on ghoul behavior, it was common for a ghoul's kagune to emerge at times of great emotion. It explained when they came out when Kaneki was mad or sad, but they also came out when he and Kaneki had sex or passionately made out. But Hide also learned that ghouls were sensitive to their mates, but they were even more so to their own children.

Hide watched as the red kagune cocooned around mother and son. He also watched as two little red-orange tentacles emerged from Kou's back and gently wrapped around one of Kaneki's rinkaku.

It reminded Hide of a baby holding their parents hand and how it was too small to hold the hand, but it could hold a finger.

Kaneki kissed Kou and gave him to Hide. "I will pick you up later, okay?"

Kou nodded.

Kaneki kissed Hide one final time before leaving.

"Alright, how about some breakfast?" Hide smiled and set Kou down at the table.

####

Kaneki walked to his office, yep. Kaneki had his own office. A ghoul with an office within the CCG, it was weird. Kaneki sat at his desk and looked at the papers he had to grade from his ghoul behavior class. He sighed and looked up at a photo on his desk.

It was a picture of Hide and Kaneki sitting with Kou in Hide's lap. Kou was only a baby and he was sucking on a pacifier and playing with the belt loop on Hide's pants when the picture was taken. Kaneki took the picture himself, in the form of a selfie using the emergency contact phone.

Kaneki smiled and put on his reading glasses.

When Kou was two, Hide accidently fell down the stairs and broke his leg.

So, while Hide stayed home and cared for the baby ghoul. Kaneki returned to work and Arima actually took him out into the field.

During the time though, Kaneki trained a few cadets and they sparred against him.

The cadet got a little rough which quickly turned to too rough. It made Kaneki loose it. He attacked the cadet with intent to kill, even bringing out his kakuja form. But Arima stopped the fight after stabbing Kaneki in the eyes and restraining Kaneki.

Kaneki's eyes had never been the same since, but it was only a minor problem.

Kaneki graded some papers and looked up when Akira entered.

"How is everything?"

Kaneki sighed. "It would be better if those cadets could write full sentences."

Akira smiled. "I forgot. You were a literary major at Kami, weren't you?"

"Yes. That was before I dropped out of school."

"After your surgery?"

"Ye-"

A knock interrupted him as Arima peeked inside.

Kaneki stood.

Arima walked four people into his office. They looked only a few years younger than himself.

Kaneki shook hands with them.

"Well, I am leaving the new cadets in your care." Arima said, ushering Akira out with him.

Kaneki looked at the four. "Hello. My name is Sasaki Haise, your new teacher and squad leader. Now… sit down and introduce yourself."