Aogiri Hideout, Two Weeks Later, 7:15am

Emily stretched, making a high pitched moaning noise, and rolled over accidentally smacking Ayato in the face.

"Ow, fuck!" he growled sitting up and holding his hand to his nose. Emily giggled quietly despite hurting him and he glared back at her, "Seriously? You don't even feel the least bit apologetic?"

"Not really." she said yawned and also sitting up, rubbing her eyes, "Don't be such a baby." Ayato grunted and rolled on top of her, pinning Emily back down into the pillows.

"You should apologize." he warned her in a low, husky voice. Emily grinned up at him and ran her fingers through his messy hair, down his cheeks and to the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her so she could kiss his nose gently.

"I'm sorry." she whispered between kisses. Ayato grunted again and dropped his head to her shoulder, nuzzling her neck. His breathing tickled her skin and he was heavy, but he was warm and comforting. Ever since Renji, Uta, Kaneki and Tskuiyama had infiltrated Aogiri in attempts to rescue her, Tatara had declared Emily's security to be tightened. That meant she was not to be out of Hiko's, Taka's or Ayato's sight. Ever. Emily had been opposed to the order at first; there was no way she was going to shower in the presence of the opposite sex. No way! But Ayato had told Hikari, the woman who had brought Emily clothes her second day with Aogiri to take Jun's place while he recovered. Hikari was in her mid-twenties, a plain looking woman with a kind heart. So, Hiko, Taka and Hikari would take turns during the week to watch Emily during the day while Ayato took the nights. He'd said it was because he was too busy to babysit a piece of shit human during the day but really it was so he and Emily could spend more time together alone.

"Good." he whispered, his lips brushing against her neck, "You smell good." Emily tensed when his teeth clamped gently onto her skin.

"What are you doing?" she asked him curiously. She felt his smile, "I'm hungry." he told her and gently bit her again.

"Go eat." she told him with a light tap on the shoulder. Ayato groaned and propped himself up on his elbows, gazing lazily into her eyes, "But I wanna eat you." Emily blushed and turned her face away from him. He'd only recently started sleeping next to her and though they hadn't actually done anything above a kiss every now and then, things were still progressing faster than Emily had ever thought. It was thrilling, cute and scary at the same time.

"Did I go too far again?" he asked catching her mood. Emily shook her head and rolled over, pushing him off her. It wasn't him; she knew he was teasing and that this was all new to him as well. It was her. Every time they did anything remotely intimate, she would get this queasy feeling in her stomach and it didn't take her a month to figure out what it was. Guilt.

"It's him isn't it?" Ayato asked coldly, "Hamada Toshio..."

"Just because I'm here with you doesn't mean I don't still love him. Do you think I could forget him in a month?" she whispered staring at the wall. The bed shifted as Ayato stood,

"I won't pretend I understand whatever it is you're going through, because I don't, but you do realize that you obviously don't love him as much as you thought you did, right?" he said. Emily frowned and turned to face him. He had his back to her and was walking over to get his jacket,

"How can you sound so sure?" she asked. Ayato scoffed and shook his head,

"Because you love me, idiot." he said, "If you loved him half as much as you say you do, you never would have fallen for me. Jeez, for someone so smart you can be so dense."

"Asshole." Emily teased him when she realized he was right and she had nothing to say to counter it.

"Bitch." he replied with a wink and slid open the metallic door leaving Emily alone again. She stretched and sat up, yawning. Ayato had told her that the initial plan of letting her leave with another Executive, someone who held the same position as him, who would be her minder had been put on hold after the rescue attempt. Apparently, the King had decided that returning Emily to her home the day after such an act would be seen as weakness. So she was forced to stay an extra two weeks as punishment towards those who tried to take her away from Aogiri. The King had also declared that since Ayato's instincts and quick thinking had resulted in the safe retrieval of a valued puzzle piece, i.e her, he would continue his current job. Naki, probably the only other person outside of the ones she came in contact with whose name she knew, would be the one doing whatever it was Ayato had been assigned to do.

Hikari knocked on the wall and entered the room, "Morning." she said cheerily and just as soon as she walked in, her dark eyes locked onto something out of place. She walked over and bent down beside Emily's bed. When she stood, she held a shirt that didn't belong to Emily in her hand, "Tch. He should be more careful about where he leaves his clothes."

Emily blushed, remembering that Ayato had taken off his long sleeved purple shirt earlier that night, claiming it was too hot. That meant he was walking around with only a singlet and jacket on now.

Hikari sighed and folded the shirt neatly over her arm, "That boy is too reckless sometimes." she said. Emily chuckled and agreed with her. Hikari had discovered the true nature of Emily and Ayato's odd relationship accidentally. She hadn't meant to but she'd overheard a conversation between them, put two and two together and confronted Emily the next day. Emily had been so shocked she didn't know what to say except the truth and that no one else could find out. To her surprise Hikari was more than willing to keep it to herself. Emily was yet to find out why.

"Ugh." Emily groaned peeling the blankets off her legs, "It's seriously too hot in here. I need a shower."

"Just think, you can go back home in a few hours." Hikari grinned as she leaned against the wall waiting for Emily to gather her clothes.

"Really? That's today?" Emily asked in surprise - she'd known that she would have to stay two more weeks but she figured Tatara would find another excuse to keep her longer.

"Yep. Ayato and Hiko are taking you later on. He didn't tell you?" Hikari asked curiously as the two walked down the hallways. Emily shook her head, "We don't talk much about this place."

"Oh, well I suppose that makes sense." Hikari said distantly. The two women walked in silence for the majority of the way to the bathrooms. It was empty when they arrived, their footsteps echoing in the large bathroom. Hikari closed and locked the door from the inside then went to get the water at just the right temperature while Emily undressed.

"So," Hikari said over the sound of gushing water, "I've been meaning to ask you something but you can tell me it's none of my business..."

"Go ahead." Emily said tying her long red hair up into a messy bun.

"You knew him on the outside right?" the elder girl asked feeling the water with her hand, "Before you came here."

Emily nodded, "Yeah. I guess you could say we've known each other for a while but he ended up staying with me last year. It wasn't long but it was...intense."

Hikari hummed thoughtfully, "You know, I was there when he first came to the 11th. Honestly I thought he was the Devil, he was so scary."

Emily chuckled quietly to herself, "He can be terrifying. He gets this look whenever he's around the others and it's almost like he's a completely different person, you know? Like I don't even recognize him. Sometimes I wonder if I even know who he is."

"I don't think anyone does." Hikari agreed as she started peeling her clothes off, "I've seen him change so much in the short amount of time you've been here. He was this terrifying storm, only made worse after his fight with the One-Eye, and then the day you arrived he seemed...almost scared. For a brief second I saw fear pass in his eyes when Tatara held you in front of us. Now when he's with you he's like a normal sixteen year old. He makes jokes, he laughs, he smiles."

Emily, having finished cleaning herself under the shower, walked over to the large bath and dipped a toe in. The water was warm and welcoming like a blanket in winter. She sighed and leaned her head against the side, staring up at the ceiling.

"You pay a lot of attention to him, don't you?" she asked. Hikari slipped in the water across from her,

"I guess so." she said with a smile, "He reminds me of my little brother."

"I didn't know you had a brother?"

"I don't...anymore..." she said softly, "He was killed."

"I'm sorry." Emily said staring at her reflection in the water but Hikari just waved her off with a smile, "It's okay. Everyone's lost someone at one point." Emily sighed and began thinking about Toshio like she'd done every day since she'd been kidnapped. He was the only one out of her small group of friends who hadn't had to deal with the pain of having a loved one die until Aogiri attacked Cochlea. Now his brother was part Ghoul, his oldest brother was locked in a prison underneath Emily's feet, their father was still missing and his girlfriend, Emily, was falling in love with not only a Ghoul but a high ranking member of Aogiri Tree. Out of everyone else, Emily was sure Toshio had drawn the short stick. She wondered what he was doing and how he was handling everything.

"Emily-chan?"

"Hmm?" Emily asked when she realized Hikari had been talking to her. The older girl rested her elbow on the side of the bath and gave Emily a knowing look, "You have another man on the outside, don't you?"

Emily thought about lying and saying she didn't, but Tatara already knew about everyone she loved, what would be the point in lying to someone she trusted, "Yeah..."

"I could tell. You were thinking about him just now, right?" she asked. Emily nodded,

"I was wondering what he was doing. His father and brothers were at Cochlea."

"They didn't make it, did they?" Hikari asked guessing from Emily's expression. Emily shrugged,

"In a sense. One of them made it back but he's...different. His eldest brother, Akihiro, is down stairs and as far as I know his father hasn't been found."

"Do you think he'll join the CCG too?"

"He already has... kind of. I'm just hoping that he's still the same when I get back." Emily admitted. She'd been worried that with one thing going wrong after another, Toshio would become far more motivated to join the CCG as soon as he could. She didn't want to think about the possibility of him being assigned to track down some of her friends, or worse...dying.

"I'm sure everything will be okay. But more importantly, what are you going to do about him?"

Emily sighed and sank deeper into the water, hoping that it would somehow give her the answers to everything she wanted to know. "I don't know. Either way, I have to break up with Toshio. Doing this to him...It's wrong."

"I agree with you, I do, but I just don't think doing that as soon as you see him is a great idea. From my understanding, he's just been through hell, losing you would just be another massive blow."

"I can't keep lying to him though! Especially now that I'm involved with Aogiri, I can't even tell those I'm closest to about it!" Emily exclaimed, "Tatara would kill them."

"You still love him, right?" Hikari asked, a serious gleam in her dark eyes. Emily nodded, "Of course I do."

"Then don't tell him straight away."

3.14pm

"Oi, get up."

Emily moaned and rolled over, blinking up at the too bright light and the dark blue eyes glaring down at her. He sighed and blew hair out of his face, "Do I have to drag you out?" Emily shook her head, even in her sleepy state she knew to act, "I'll get up."

Hiko was standing at the door, his back to them, Hikari was finishing packing a small bag of the things Emily had accumulated in the month she'd been imprisoned in Aogiri and Ayato loomed over her like a murderous thunder cloud. It seemed as though she'd slept longer than she'd planned to.

"Hurry the fuck up, will you?" Ayato snapped as he discretely helped her to stand, "We haven't got all night." Emily quickly slid on her shoes and took the jacket Hikari offered her, even if he was only acting because of Hiko, Emily knew better than to test him - he'd said once before that if ordered to or if she tried to escape, he would have to hurt her.

She followed Ayato out of the old freezer that had been her room for the past month and down the empty hallway. Tatara and the small one that followed him around were waiting for them at the door to the garage where they kept the van used to kidnap Emily in the first place.

"Do not mistake our letting you return home as a sign of freedom, Miss Ishihara. You belong to Aogiri, don't forget it." he warned her with that cold, emotionless expression he always wore.

"How could I possibly forget." she muttered under her breath earning a giggle from the Ghoul in bandages next to Tatara.

"I like her." she said holding a hand to where her mouth was.

"Ayato, please try not to kill her." Tatara continued, ignoring Emily's comment. Ayato dug his fists deeper into his pockets and scowled at nothing on the wall, "No promises."

Tatara's voice was like a sigh when he spoke, "That will suffice." Emily glanced between the tall white haired Ghoul leader and Ayato, Tatara showed no indication he'd caught onto Ayato's true feelings towards Emily but that didn't really count for anything with him. It was entirely possible Tatara and maybe even the King, if there was such a thing, knew the truth and found sick enjoyment in making her and Ayato believe otherwise.

Crimson eyes met her gaze, narrowed slightly and then closed completely. "Is that all, Eto?"

"Hmm, I think that was it." the small female ghoul replied.

"Good." Tatara stated and opened his eyes again, "Shall we?" Emily watched as two of the most mysterious people in Aogiri walked in the direction she'd just come.

"Let's go." Ayato said throwing Emily's bag carelessly into the back of the van before walking over to take his seat on the passenger side.

"Right..." she mumbled quietly and had half climbed into the back when she realized Hikari hadn't moved from where she'd been standing. "Aren't you coming?"

Hikari shook her head, "Not yet. There's a few things I have to take care of here first." she replied with a smile, "I'll see you in the next few days though." Emily searched the older girl's dark eyes. Her gut told her Hikari was hiding something, her smile didn't reach her eyes and she looked sad.

"Go before he gets angry." Hikari said making a shooing motion with her hands. Emily did as she was told despite the feeling twisting in her stomach. As the van drove away from the rundown hotel that had been her prison for the past month, she had a feeling that that was going to be the last time she ever saw Hikari.

4:00pm

The apartment was cold and dark but Emily sighed happily as soon as she walked through the door. Home. She was finally back home where she didn't have to shower with another being, could sleep in her own bed, eat her own food and wear her own clothes again. Ayato slid off his shoes and walked straight into the kitchen. She wondered what he was feeling coming back here after such a long time but didn't ask. She liked Hiko, but that didn't mean she trusted him.

"Where should I put this?" Hiko asked while Emily watched Ayato lean around the back of the fridge. Hiko held the duffel bag with the clothes and things Emily had been given inside it.

"I'll take it." she said reaching for the bag, "Thanks." She left the two men and went to her bedroom. The room smelt musty and dust specks floated like fairies in the sunlight streaming in from her bathroom. Dropping the bag, she opened the sliding window to let some air through and, after one more satisfied sigh, went to see what trouble Hiko and Ayato were getting up to.

Both were in the kitchen. Ayato was crouched in front of the refrigerator staring at its contents and Hiko leaned against the counter behind him.

"Power's out." Ayato told her swinging the door shut and standing up, "By the smell, I'd say it's been out just over a week."

"That's probably because I haven't paid the electricity bill." Emily replied rolling her eyes and reaching for her phone in her pocket - only it wasn't there. Frowning, Emily went to her room and started digging through her things.

"What've you lost?" Ayato asked from her doorway. Emily tipped the duffel bag upside down and began spreading the clothes around.

"My phone...I swear..." suddenly she stopped and leaned back on her heels, "Right. How could I forget that."

"What?"

She faced Ayato who was leaning against her door frame casually, "I was on the phone at the hospital when I was kidnapped by those guys. I must have dropped it there." Ayato's calm expression shifted into confusion, "What were you doing at the hospital?"

"Visiting someone." she replied vaguely and stood up. Ayato followed her back into the living room and flopped down onto the couch while Emily took one of the arm chairs.

"Shit." she muttered under her breath, how was she going to get the power back on without her mobile?

"Here." Emily looked up just as Ayato tossed her his phone, it landed in her lap with a small thunk, "Here's hoping you remember the number."

"Thanks." she said and flipped open the small black brick, dialed the power company and waited while she was put on hold. Resting her cheek on her hand, she listened to the boring generic music until the other end clicked and someone greeted her. It took little over an hour to organize the power but since it was so late in the afternoon, there was nothing they could do until the morning. Which meant Hiko had to make a trip to the nearby convenience store to get candles and flashlights and something for Emily to eat, leaving her alone with Ayato.

Emily rested her hand on her cheek and stared at the Ghoul lounging on her sofa. He stared at the ceiling, one hand behind his head and the other dangling casually off the edge of the cushions.

"You're staring at me." he stated, his blue eyes shifting down from the ceiling to her face, "What is it?"

"Nothing..." she trailed off. Ayato huffed and closed his eyes, "Uh-huh. For someone keeping her second life a secret from everyone she cares about, you're a really shitty liar."

Emily pursed her lips and glanced towards the kitchen, hoping that, if she didn't actually look at him, she would feel less embarrassed about what she was going to say next.

"I was just wondering how you were feeling...you know, being back here after so long." she said as the familiar heat lit up her cheeks. She still didn't look at him but she heard him sigh deeply.

"Weird is the first word that comes to mind." he replied shortly. That made her look over; he was staring at the ceiling again, his mouth tight and his eyebrows drawn into a scowl. Emily wondered if that was all he was going to say about it, he never really was the 'talk about our feelings' kind of guy. However, like always, he surprised her.

"It's weird to think that he's been in here with you, he must have sat on this couch at least once. You two probably even ate together at some point. That being said, this place is still far more precious to me than it could ever be to him."

"Why?" she asked choosing to ignore the blaring sign that served to remind her that she and Ayato could never do half the things that she'd done with Toshio. They'd never be able to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner together, they'd never be able to go on actual dates and there was always the possibility of him hurting her despite what she wanted to believe, "Because I brought you back here instead of leaving you to die in the street?"

"You did more than that, you know. I've had this rage inside me since I was young just building and building - this black hatred towards humans, weaklings, my own father...myself. I was destructive, well still I guess I still kinda am, but even though I was a total asshole and tried to eat you twice, you still showed me this kindness I'd never known from humans. I mean sure, they're all nice and friendly when they think you're one of them but as soon as they find out otherwise... But you were so genuine and caring even though you knew I was Ghoul." he said quietly and then chuckled, "I really, really hated that."

Emily smiled at him despite the bitter-sweetness of his words, she was happy she had played a part, even if it was a small one, in quelling the burning hatred inside of him. She'd never known why he'd been so angry when they were young and she still didn't know, she wasn't sure she wanted to either.

"I knew it was you the moment I caught your scent that night." Ayato continued, his smile turning soft, "The little human girl who used to chase me around."

Suddenly he sat up, his smile dropping and stared Emily in the eye, "Now I'm the one trying to chase you. I joined Aogiri because I wanted to protect my idiot sister from humans and the CCG. I wanted to be strong. I wanted to forget you and your goodness...I wanted to block out the regret I felt after leaving you and the pain that came with it and for a while violence helped keep me numb. And then I'd see you. Walking to the book store, with your friends, at HySy and Anteiku. You never noticed me but even just catching a glimpse of you was like this shining light in my dark world. It drove me insane. I honestly even considered killing you just to feel normal again...and before you say it, yes I know I'm fucking stupid and I couldn't hurt you if I tried - and I have, twice. But what your eye-patch friend said to me when he almost killed me made a lot of sense. I was arrogant and an idiot and let my anger blind me to that. I hate myself for joining Aogiri - we're expendable pawns to Tatara and the King. I'm not protecting anyone by being with them but I can't join Anteiku. I can't pretend to be a human. When I'm with you though, I feel like I'm doing something good for once, something right."

8am

"Choose!" Toshio shouted over the roar of the fire. Emily was on her knees in the crimson snow, tears cascading down her face from the heat of the flames and the scene that lay before her. Toshio stood, unrecognizable with his harsh glare, holding a heavily wounded Ayato by the torn collar of his jacket. He coughed, spraying blood onto the already stained snow, as Toshio jerked him violently upwards. With a sudden burst of strength that seemed to surprise himself as well as Emily, Ayato broke out of Toshio's hold, grasped his biceps tightly and sunk his teeth into Toshio's shoulder, ripped flesh and muscle from bone violently. Toshio screamed and managed to shove the injured Ghoul away.

"Stop it!" Emily cried but her voice was silence against the mighty fire. The two men fought on, their shadows twisting and contorting. Toshio managed to remove one of Ayato's vermillion wings and in turn, Ayato took an arm from Toshio.

Emily couldn't watch. She couldn't bare to see the two men she loved tear each other apart. She stared at the snow, praying the fire would drown out their screams but it hadn't worked. Before her lay a half broken black mask in the shape of a demonic rabbit and by it's side was a dove, its neck broken and splatterings of blood decorated its pure white feathers.

Choose. Choose a side.

"Emily?"

She sat up, covered in sweat, still feeling the fire's heat on her face and the snow's cold on her legs. She was panting and shaking. Her eyes scanned her surroundings - she was safe in her room, the sun was glowing under the door to her bathroom and Ayato was standing in her doorway with a worried and perplexed expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly. She scrambled out of her twisted sheets and stumbled over to him, wrapping her arms around his middle and resting her forehead on his shoulder. He was alive. He wasn't wounded - he was fine.

"Emily?" he held her back and frowned down at her, his expression was one of concern now, "What is it?"

"A nightmare..." she whispered struggling to find her voice as the dream replayed in her mind again.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked her. She shook her head and stepped out of his hold, "No, it was just a dream. I'll be fine."

"If you say so." he said quietly, almost like he didn't believe her, but didn't press the matter further, "Power's back on." Emily nodded and retreated into her bathroom to shower and change. The warm water and cleanliness helped her to feel more like herself and after brushing her hair, she went to joined Hiko and Ayato. Only what she found was an empty space. Considering she was technically under house arrest, she knew one of them had to be there somewhere but she didn't bother calling out. The flashing light on her house phone had stolen her full attention. 61 new messages. Sighing, she pressed the playback button and slid down the wall onto the floor. The first few were ones she'd expected - worried phone calls from Toshio, Chloe and her boss and the school. She had a couple from Daichi and Yoshimura. Three from the power company telling her her bill was overdue. She'd started to tune out after the 30th message - it was a woman with a boring monotone voice calling in regards to being absent at school again - but the 31st seized her attention and refused to let go.

"E-Emily? Uh, it's me, Isao. I swiped you home number from Toshi since your cell's been disconnected. What's that about? Anyway, you haven't been around for a few days, Toshi's pretty worried." he laughed and paused. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter and more serious, "Nothing's happened to you, I hope? Call him, or me, or someone soon okay? Love you little sis."

The answering machine beeped and an electronic voiced announced the next message. She skipped through it quickly and the next three until she came to another message from Toshio.

"Hey Em, still not answering your phone I see. Jeez, it's like you're avoiding me...or everyone...Anyway, I just called to tell you Isao's getting out of the hospital today. Happy times, right?! Or it should be...Sorry, ignore that. Um, what was I going to say? Oh yeah, I saw that guy from the coffee shop - that friend of yours with the eye-patch? He looks different... He stopped by school and asked all these weird questions and then just left without another word. Weird. Oops, times up. Call me back, woman."

-Beep-

"Yo, little sis! I'm getting out of this place today! I'm not sure whether I'll go home or find somewhere else to live - you know, because of my condition. I know Mom will want me close. They still haven't found Akihiro, you know..."

-Beep- -Beep- -Beep- -Beep- -Beep-

"Emily, I know it's late but I'm really hoping your home from where ever you've been. But I guess not since you're not answering. Look, something strange is going on and I have no one else to talk to about it. ...It's Isao. He's acting unlike himself. He barely eats anything, he always makes an excuse to avoid it and when he can't he disappears and comes back an hour later. He locks himself in his room and doesn't want to talk to anyone. Sometimes I hear him crying. I get he's seen a lot of shit during Cochlea but it doesn't seem like PTSD to me...Call me paranoid, call me whatever but just call me. Soon."

-Beep- -Beep- -Beep-

"Emily? God, Emily please just answer your fucking phone! I'm losing it here! I can't... It hurts! It just won't stop! Help me, please! I don't want to hurt anyone... *Isao? Are you awake?* No...Toshi...stay away...you smell so...so...goood...Ugh! Emily, help me please..."

-Beep- -Beep-

"...I know..."

"End of messages. If you would like to replay the messages, please press 1. If you would like to delete-"

Emily turned the answering machine off and just stared at it. The last message she'd gotten from Isao was six days ago, he could have done anything by then. She needed to get to him - fast. She checked the time and hoped Toshio and his mother wouldn't be home by the time she got there. She couldn't deal with that right now, not when Isao was like that. Sliding her shoes on, she grabbed the key off the hook and went to open the door when Ayato's voice made her stop.

"Where are you going?" he asked her curiously, "You're under house arrest, remember?"

"I know, I know." she said turning to face him, he was naked except for the white towel wrapped securely around his waist. She faltered for a second but her mind was solely on Isao's well being. Ayato's naked body wasn't going to be enough to distract her, "I have to go."

"Why?" he asked crossing his arms and leaning against the back of the arm chair closest to her.

"I think a friend is in trouble." she told him. Ayato rolled his eyes like she believed he would,

"Human or Anteiku?" he asked stubbornly.

"Neither. Look, I'll explain everything, I promise, but I have to find him before he hurts himself or someone else. Please, Ayato..." she pleaded. Ayato closed his eyes and huffed,

"Fine. Gimme a sec." She watched as he walked into the room he'd stolen next to the laundry and closed the door. Emily paced while she waited for him, growing more impatient and anxious as each long second passed. At length, Ayato reappeared, put his boots on and followed her out, phone in hand.

They walked in silence to the train station and rode to the 22nd Ward where Toshio's parents lived. He'd been staying with his mother since the incident, or so he'd said in one of his earlier phone messages.

"What are we doing here?" Ayato asked when Emily opened the gate to the house. She turned back to see him scowling at the family name on the brick wall. They hadn't actually spoken since they'd left the apartment. Emily wasn't sure if it was because Ayato wasn't sure where Tatara's eyes and ears were or if he was angry with her, either way she didn't ask and he didn't let her know.

"Don't worry, he won't be home." she told him and walked up to the front door. She knocked twice and rang the doorbell.

"No one is, apparently." Ayato muttered, shoving his fists deeper into his pockets, "Can we just go now? I'm not totally fond of being at a CCG house."

"Relax, will you? And stop being so obvious." she chastised him just as the front door opened revealing a disheveled Toshio. He was thinner than before, had dark circles under his eyes and stubble graced his chin. He stared at her but seemed to see through her until she said his name. Frowning, he blinked, his eyes focusing on her.

"Emily?" he asked, his voice hoarse, "Oh my god, Emily!" His arms were around her in an instant and she realized he still had much of his strength despite his outward appearance.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked as he hugged her. She hated the question. How could she possibly explain her sudden absence - she was kidnapped by a terrorist Ghoul organization? It was then she realized that she could never tell him anything. Couldn't tell anyone anything. For their own safety.

Pushing out of his hold, Emily took his hands in hers and looked him in the eyes.

"Toshio..." she said but his gaze shifted to the being behind her.

"Who's that?" he asked suspiciously.

"Toshio, listen." she said getting his attention again, "Where's your brother? Where's Isao?"

"Isao?" Toshio's face fell into sorrow and he let his hands fall away from hers. Opening the door wider, he gestured for both Emily and Ayato to follow him. Emily thought Ayato would put up a fuss and flat out refuse to go in, but he stayed silent and followed behind her. Toshio went to the kitchen and started making three cups of coffee while Emily sat at the bench and Ayato leaned against the wall, far enough away from Toshio but still close to Emily.

"I take it you got my messages, right?" he asked over the bubbling of the boiling kettle, "That Isao got discharged two weeks ago but started acting weird?"

"I did." she replied.

"I have no idea what's wrong with him, Em. It's like he's not even my brother anymore..." he said sadly, "I barely recognize him."

"He's been through a lot." she said, "Seeing what he saw would be traumatic."

"I guess." he replied but she could tell he didn't believe her words, "Here." Emily took the offered cup and sipped it.

"I made one for your, uh, friend too." he said holding the third cup out for Ayato to take. Please don't do anything stupid...Emily prayed silently as she heard Ayato walk over.

"Thanks." he said and stared into the cup, assessing it.

"I didn't know how you took it so there's no milk or sugar..."

"That's fine." Ayato replied taking a sip and relaxing minutely then returned to his spot.

"Anyway," Toshio continued, "He left a few days ago. Didn't bother telling us where he went, just vanished. Kinda like you did." Emily ignored the pang of guilt that rippled through her and focused at the issue at hand,

"So you have no idea where he went? None at all?" she asked him. Toshio shook his head and took another big mouthful of coffee,

"Nope. Hide might have some idea though. He and Isao got on pretty well at the office." Toshio replied. Emily frowned,

"Hide?"

Toshio nodded, "Nagachika Hideyoshi. He's an intern at the CCG."

Shit. Emily had hoped to avoid going near the CCG main office and there was a chance this Hide knew absolutely nothing useful that could help her in her search to find Isao. Emily stared into her coffee. This wasn't like trying to find Kaneki - Kaneki had ties in the Ghoul world. He had people around him who could be tracked down. Isao knew no one. He was totally on his own and there was no way to find him. No way except a possible source.

"Thank you, Toshi." she said and stood up.

11:52am

"You can't be serious?"

Emily and Ayato stood across the street from the CCG main office. Traffic buzzed passed, sometimes a car would turn into the building and sometimes they would come out. People walked passed like that wasn't a building full of Ghoul killing humans.

"You can wait here if you want." she told him. Ayato grabbed her shoulders and faced her to him, "That's not what I mean and you know it. If Tatara found out you were even this close to them, he'd kill us all."

"I know..." Emily said, her gaze shifting to the imposing building across from her.

"Knowing that, you still want to go in there? This guy is really that important to you?"

"He's alone, Ayato. I promised I'd help him and I let him down. I'm not going to just give up and let him die." she told him honestly. She'd given him the basics of what had happened to Isao on the way there, he didn't know the details but he knew Isao was now part Ghoul. Sighing, he let her go.

"Fine, but be quick, okay?" he said and retreated into the shadows. Squaring her shoulders, Emily marched across the road and into the building. Inside was full of activity; everywhere she looked she saw well dressed men and women in suits, some carrying paperwork, some carrying briefcases. It was impossible to tell who was a Dove and who was admin.

"Can I help you?" the youngish woman at the front desk asked when Emily approached her.

"Um, I'm looking for Nagachika Hideyoshi." she said.

"Oh, Arima-san, I have that file you asked for." the woman next to Emily called out. Emily stiffened, she knew that name. The CCG's Shinigami - Arima Kishou. He was a genius.

"Thank you." he said softly and Emily risked a peek at the infamous man. He was tall and had snow white hair reminding her of Kaneki, his glasses slid down his nose as he read over the file. He had a handsome profile and only looked to be in his late 20s.

"Arima-san?" the woman Emily had been talking to called, Arima hummed in reply as his eyes scanned the pages before looking up at the woman,

"What is it?" he asked though his voice was light, his expression was blank.

"This girl is looking for Nagachika Hideyoshi. Would you mind escorting her to him?" Emily almost choked at this woman's request.

Grey eyes pierced her skin and she felt as though he was staring right into her soul. Emily fidgeted with a stray thread on her hoodie and didn't look at him.

"Alright. I'm going that way." he said finally and extended his hand, "I'm Arima Kishou, it's nice to meet you."

Emily stared at his hand for a second before responding - a hand that's killed hundreds - "Ishihara Emily." His hand was warm and strong, yet surprisingly soft.

"After you, Miss Ishihara." he said stepped aside to allow her through the large scanners. She wondered whether he was testing her, to see if she was really human and not a Ghoul. But she figured he was probably just being polite. She followed him closely throughout the foyer towards the elevators.

"Are you friends with Hide?" Arima asked once they were inside and traveling upwards. Emily shook her head - there really was no point in lying to him about this.

"I heard he was friends with Hamada Isao." she replied, "I'm...dating Isao's younger brother."

"Oh, Toshio-kun." he replied easily, "I heard they still haven't found Akihiro or Masanori yet."

"Yeah." she replied unsure of what else she could possibly say. Arima fell silent and soon they had reached their destination. He lead her through the rows of cubicles where Investigators were researching and writing reports and all kinds of other administrative duties - something she found odd. And then they stopped at a large room where several people were sitting.

"This will just take a moment." Arima told her before opening the door, "Excuse me."

"Oh! Arima! 'Bout time you joined us." a booming voice that sounded vaguely familiar laughed.

"I'm not staying, I have a previous engagement." he replied standing sideways to allow them to see Emily standing nervously behind the white haired man.

"Emily-chan!" She looked up at the joyous sound of her name. Suzuya Juuzou was leaning backwards on his chair, a huge grin stretching across his face and waving at her. She returned his smile and gave a small wave, making the boy giggle.

"I see you two have met." commented a voice she didn't know belonging to an imposing man with weird eyebrows.

"Anyway, I came to give this to Amon." Arima said after being interrupted by an excited Juuzou. He passed the file he'd been carrying to the man with weird eyebrows, "I figured this would help you more than it helped me."

"Thank you, sir." Amon said taking the file. Arima nodded and gazed back down to Emily who was watching the exchange with curiosity.

"Shall we?" he asked. She nodded and said goodbye to Juuzou before Arima shut the door again.

"Sorry about that." Arima said when they started walking again, "That file really wasn't what I was looking for."

"Oh...um..." Emily fumbled for words - why was he telling her this? "I didn't mind." Arima didn't say anything else as they arrived back at the elevator and went down three floors. She wondered whether Arima had simply made a mistake with the floor number earlier or did it on purpose. Either way, it seemed a weird thing to do.

They entered the cafeteria and stood by the door, scanning the crowd gathered for lunch - or rather Arima scanned while Emily just stared in awe.

"Ah, there he is." he said and started walking over to one of the far tables where an orange haired boy in a white and red cap chatting animatedly with several other people. "Hide, I have someone who's looking for you."

The orange haired boy looked up at Arima and then peered behind him were Emily stood, her hands clasped in front of her. His eyes went wide and suddenly he was on his feet, grasping her hands and grinning at her.

"You are seriously the cutest girl I have ever seen! Please date me!" he gushed. Emily stammered, his boldness had her in shock.

"Please restrain yourself, Hide." Arima said placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, "You're still working."

"Oh, right. Sorry, sir." Hide replied and scratched the back of his neck, "So, what's up, Miss?"

"There's something I need to ask you. Something I've been told only you might know." she said. Immediately, Hide's joking character dropped and he became serious. He bowed to Arima,

"Thanks for going out of your way to bring her to me." he said, "This might take a while so I'll take her back to the lobby when we're done talking."

"I don't mind waiting." Arima said, his face still blank, "Besides, your lunch break will be over soon. You know Chairman Washuu won't approve of you being late for your duties."

Hide opened his mouth to protest again but Emily stopped him by thanking Arima for going out of his way to help her again.

"It's no problem." he said and sat down at an empty table to wait. Emily followed Hide out onto a nearby balcony and stared down at the ground below.

"It should be safe to talk here." Hide said leaning against the metal railing, "So what did you have to ask me?"

"It's about Isao." she started, Hide's shoulder's dropped and she got the feeling he thought they were going to be talking about something else, "Long story short, I've been away for a while but before I left I made him a promise. A promise I wasn't able to keep until now, only I have no idea where he is and neither does Toshio."

"And you think I do?" Hide assumed. Emily nodded, "I want to help you but I don't know for sure where he is. He hasn't been back here since they let him out, which I guess is normal, but he hasn't even called or anything. The only place I can think of where he might be is an apartment complex in the 13th Ward. But that place is hell so I can't let you go."

The 13th Ward was one of the most dangerous suburbs of Tokyo, more so than the 11th. Most Ghouls feared it and the humans who lived there barely went outside without a weapon. Still, if that's where Isao was, Emily would go there.

"It's okay, I won't be by myself." she assured him. Hide looked like he wanted to protest but instead he closed his eyes, sighed then scribbled something down on a piece of paper. It was an address.

"This is it. If he's not there, I have no idea where he is." Hide told her, "Hey, before you go, you worked at a bookstore in the 20th right?"

"Yeah?" Emily replied taking the piece of paper and sliding it into her pocket.

"Did a quiet guy with dark hair and an eye-patch ever go in?" he asked. Emily knew then what he'd thought she wanted to talk about. Hide had been Kaneki's friend and was worried about him. She smiled,

"Yeah, he's a regular." she replied deciding not to burst Hide's bubble of hope by not using the word was.