"He's...He's my father...Ishihara Ryota..." Emily said, her voice barely a whisper, still in shock that the man standing before her and Ayato was alive and had been for six years.

"I thought you said your father was dead?" Ayato asked her, his voice had lost the dangerous edge but he was still wary.

"I thought he was." Emily replied as she slowly climbed to her feet and looked to the older man for answers. He sighed, his breath coming out like a puff of smoke in the cold air.

"Let's go home," he told her, "And I'll tell you both everything." Emily shook her head, she had unfinished business out here, and as much as she wanted to know the truth about her father, she couldn't abandon her friends.

"Emily," Ayato said turning her to face him, "There's nothing you can do. The King is already here, Yoshimura's been taken down and Kaneki is handling the rest."

"I thought you said it was a bad thing if he was here?" she argued quietly.

"Kaneki Ken can handle himself, child." Ryota said as he walked towards the teens, "We need to leave before the CCG start spreading out this way."

Emily stared at her feet, trying to decide whether to listen to them or be stubborn. She had been told not to interfere by Aogiri and Yoshimura, and it was true she, a human with no training, couldn't actually do anything to help them. She couldn't fight and she wasn't sure she even wanted to. In the end, she decided being out there would do more harm than good and followed her father and Ayato back to the apartment.

Once inside, Hiko made four cups of coffee and grabbed a blanket for Emily who was shivering against the cold. He didn't ask who the new ghoul was but she was sure he was curious. The four of them sat in silence and waited.

Emily had one thousand and one questions she wanted to ask, but couldn't force herself to voice them. She figured Ayato had his share of things he wanted to know as well, but like her, he stayed quiet and waited.

Finally, her father spoke, "I can guess what you want to ask me, what both of you want to ask me. I suppose the easiest place to start would be the day I died.

"What Uta told you was a lie. There was no falling beams, and I wasn't being a hero. There's an organization working in secret in order to maintain balance between humans and ghouls. Yoshimura had been part of it until he'd met Ukina and had a child, he turned his back on them and they retaliated, Ukina was killed. Their child survived and became what you three know as the One-Eyed Owl - the King." Ryota told them.

"Well that would explain the King's interest in this raid." Ayato said, he'd never truly believed the reasoning Miza had told them previously, "But what does this have to do with you and Emily?"

"I'm sure Emily has told you about my dream?" Ryota asked, gazing at Ayato evenly.

The younger male nodded, "For humans and Ghouls to live in harmony together."

Ryota nodded once, "That's also what V wants - balance, although we have opposing views on how to achieve that. Having heard about what I and your mother had been doing before she died, and about you, they approached me and they were surprised to learn that I knew who they were and what they were capable of doing. If Yoshimura hadn't already confided in me, I'm ashamed to say I may have joined them. Killing is no way to peace."

"You turned them down?" Emily asked, already guessing what her father would have done.

"Yes. Whilst our goals were the same, their methods weren't any I agreed with. I would never be able to live with myself if I had joined them." A small smile spread across his bearded face, "They didn't like that very much and decreed that since I wouldn't join them, I was a too powerful threat to be left alive. They sent one of their human operatives to kill me, we fought briefly and then he asked me a question I wasn't entirely prepared for. He asked me why I had fallen in love with a human, what made me view humans differently than the others.

"I was so stunned all I could do was say the first thing that came into my mind; that humans were no different to us. Thinking back I can now see how that statement could be taken many ways, but when I had said it, my only thought was that we both deserved life and love. I'm still not sure what answer he found in my words, but he didn't kill me. Instead he told me he agreed with me. We both knew if V found out I was still alive, both he, myself and you, Emily, would be hunted down and killed and so we decided that I would die - disappear - and in return I asked him to keep an eye on you, my precious daughter."

"Arima Kishou..." Emily whispered as everything slowly started to sink into place, "He told me he owed someone a debt which was why he was looking out for me."

"That's what he said?" Ryota asked, that small smile appearing again, "If anything, I'm the one who owes him a great deal."

Ayato leaned back against the couch, "All this is very touching, but what I want to know is why the hell did you almost kill me? Seeing as though you're pretty much all knowing and everything, surely you'd know about my hatred for humans and that I'd join Aogiri so why did you leave me for her to find?"

"Ayato, this may not be the answer you want to hear, but I knew your father, Arata. It was because of me both of your parents wished to live peacefully with humans. He came to me the night he died, asking me to watch out for you and your sister. By the time I came to find you it was too late, you both had already gone and I didn't know where. It wasn't until I saw you both at Anteiku, I knew you were even alive. I failed you kids and your parents and for that I can never apologize. What you said is true, I knew the dark path you were headed down and so I made the biggest gamble of my life, I entrusted you to my daughter."

"What if I had killed her?" Ayato asked.

"Then my dream and reason for living would be over. I bet everything on you and her and you both didn't disappoint me. Although I didn't anticipate on Aogiri, but if V has their way, Aogiri will be a distant memory in a few years." Emily didn't know whether her father was relieved or sad when he spoke, perhaps both in a way, but she didn't question him. Ryota looked up again at Ayato,

"I see so much of your parents in you, passionate, strong, selfless..."

"My parents were weak." Ayato snapped, "My father especially."

Ryota sighed, "You only say that because you're ignorant of the truth. You believe your father abandoned you, that his teaching you and Touka to blend into human society was weakness. He taught you those skills so you would survive, so that you could see the world threw eyes different from the norm. He left to protect you both. The CCG had discovered his whereabouts and he went to face them knowing he would probably die. He gave his life so his children could survive. That is a parent's job - to protect their children. You want to deny these personality qualities that your parents left to you, but it only shows stronger. You are your father's son, Ayato, in your stubbornness to deny it, in the way you protect my daughter, in your rationality. Arata and Hikari may not have been able to leave you with very much, but they imparted their best traits on you and I hope that one day, you will be able to see and accept that."

Ayato blew the hair in his eyes out of his face and said nothing more.

"So you've been alive for these past six years..." Emily said slowly, "Who else knew?"

"Uta, Yomo, Yoshimura and Arima." Ryota said, "Although I had instructed all of them not to tell you. I had also met Kaneki Ken, but kept my identity secret from him."

"You met Kaneki? When?" Emily asked curiously.

"When Aogiri had kidnapped you." Her father replied.

"You orchestrated the rescue attempt." Hiko stated, speaking for the first time since they'd arrived home. Ryota half smiled, "I pushed them in the right direction, yes."

Emily stared at her hands, slowly mincing through all the information she'd been given. Her father was a live, he'd known about everything, he knew Ayato's parents, Arima Kishou and had been hiding from another secret organization.

"Why now?" she asked as the thought popped into her mind, "Why appear again now?"

"Things have changed." Ryota stated as he stood and walked towards the window, " The CCG finding out about Anteiku was no accident, your friend, Isao, and Kaneki Ken both were planned. Aogiri is getting out of control and their leader is only just getting started. It won't be long before V starts acting, especially now that Kamishiro Rize has been recovered. I'm certain they won't stop hunting her now."

"Rize's alive?" Emily asked and glanced toward Ayato for clarification. He shrugged, "Don't look at me. I've been with you."

"Kamishiro Rize was being held in an underground facility by Dr. Kanou, the man responsible for turning both Isao, Kaneki Ken and dozens of others into half breeds at Aogiri's request, although most of the experiments have been failures. I'd go as far as to say Kaneki Ken was the shining achievement. Your friend probably second. Yomo recovered her and she's in a safe place now, but that won't stop both Aogiri and V for long. They'll do everything they can to find her. I'm sure the same fate will befall Yoshimura, there's no way Eto will allow him to die."

"Eto?" Both Emily and Ayato said in unison.

"Eto is the daughter of Yoshimura and Ukina. She is the only one-eyed ghoul that was bred, not engineered, and she is the real King. I'm surprised neither of you had picked up on that."

"I had an inkling." Hiko stated flatly, "But there was never enough evidence to support it."

"That makes a lot of sense, actually." Ayato said, "I had never seen her in action but Tatara seemed to do as she said."

"It's not important now." Ryota said, "I'm sorry Emily but your role in all of this is just starting."

"Me? What can I do?" she asked him curiously.

"You are proof that humans and ghouls can live in harmony without the underlying threat of death. You are a symbol of all that is good left in this world and you can be sure that V and Aogiri want to utilize that. Eto's ultimate goal was to use you, not for a foothold in the 20th Ward, but as a martyr. The human girl who died for ghouls. V wants you for the same reason they wanted me."

"But why? I'm not important at all and I'm certainly not some kind of unicorn." Emily stated sharply. Her father only raised an eyebrow at her.

"Aren't you? You managed to sway a heart full of hatred, you gave up everything you knew for people you cared about, you risked your life to stand up to evil. Those acts make a statement, Emily. It's already started. Those in the lower positions of Aogiri have seen and heard how selfless and strong you are, those you've helped in the six years I've been away, your human friends, all of them are will to fight at your back. You're becoming a threat; that's why Tatara was trying to have you killed despite the King's orders. He could see what you were becoming."

"Your father speaks truth." Hiko told her, "Miza was proof of that."

"Miza?" she asked.

"What, you don't really think she actually bought everything we told her, do you?" Ayato said, "I didn't know why she didn't report it back to Tatara, but I guess your answer convinced her to stay quiet. She's like you in that sense."

"I don't what this responsibility..." Emily said softly, "It's too much."

"You won't be alone." Ryota told her gently, "Your friends and I will be with you every step of the way."

"You're not going to disappear again?" she asked him. He smiled warmly at her,

"No. I've been away too long. It's time to come out of the shadows."

Outside Emily's Apartment, 1:52am

"So she knows then?" Uta asked his long time friend as he, Yomo Renji and Ishihara Ryota stood in the small ally way across from Emily's apartment complex.

"Yes. I told her everything." Ryota said, "She took it rather well, although she scared of what the future holds for her."

"As she should be." Renji replied, "Are you sure forcing this upon her is the right thing to do? She's still a child."

"I know my daughter, Renji." Ryota told them both, "She's far stronger than she realizes. She just needs time and joining the CCG will be the safest place for her."

"You're kidding right?" Uta asked, "Sending her to the Doves? It's interesting, sure, but crazy, even for me."

"She won't be an Investigator, her interests lie in medicine which is something I'm more than grateful for. With her knowledge of our anatomy, she'd be an asset to them, they wouldn't risk her in the field." Ryota informed the two.

"But that doesn't put her out of danger from them. What if they find out the truth?" Renji asked.

"Arima Kishou will never let that happen. Besides, I'm sure he'll be appealing to Chairman Washuu about creating a new half-breed squad soon."

"A what?" Renji asked curiously.

"When I heard, I didn't believe it." Uta said, already knowing what Ryota was talking about, "Our dear friend, Kaneki Ken fought with the Shinigami and lost. If what Ryota is insinuation, said Shinigami will try to form a Dove squad with engineered half-breeds. Those who can use quinques and a kagune. If the boss man goes for it, Emily will be invaluable to them. They're already showing a bit of interest from her recent biology exams and with Toshio already working for them, I wouldn't be surprised if they recruit her straight out of high school."

"She hasn't even started her medical degree yet." Renji argued.

"They will put her through collage and she will still work for them while learning." Ryota told him, "Within the CCG, she'll be safe from V and Aogiri."

"And think of the benefits for us. We'll have two people on the inside who can feed us information." Uta told his friend, "It's a win for everyone."

Ryota wasn't too fond of Uta's reasoning, but he wasn't about to voice those concerns. Uta had always been shady and conniving, but his love for Emily was real. He would never put her in harms way which was why Ryota had entrusted her to him and Renji. And even if he didn't agree, Uta did have a good point. With Yoshimura and Kaneki Ken gone, Emily's list of allies was falling, and she would need all the advantages she could get if their plan was ever going to be successful.

"You're gambling with her life, you two do realize this, don't you?" Renji asked with a sigh.

"I trust my daughter." Ryota said, neglecting to inform both of them that he'd gambled with her life more times than one, he was resolved to take his own life should Emily be killed, it was the only atonement he could think of, "Her life is on the line every day. I know she would want her death to mean something should it come down to it, but I will do everything in my power to make sure that is something that will never happen. Emily must survive no matter what if this is to work."

"I'm with you." Uta said before shifting his gaze to Renji by his side, "What about you?"

Renji sighed again, "You've been right for this long...I trust you. Please don't make me regret doing this."

"You won't. I assure you." Ryota said before turning his back on the two and heading towards the home he'd left behind six years ago.

EPILOGUE

Two years had passed since Emily's world had be rocked, since the father she believed to be dead had come back into her life, since she'd learned about the secret organization made of ghouls and humans called V and the real identity of the One-Eyed King who lead Aogiri.

Now, at 18 years old, she was the youngest medical practitioner who worked for the CCG. Her knowledge of ghoul anatomy had made her invaluable to them, and while she was still getting her degree, she worked in one of the basement labs with Hamada Isao, once a rising star in the CCG and now an engineered half-breed kept in secret from the general populace of staff, and his brother, Toshio, Emily's ex-boyfriend, from time to time.

She had helped create a new squad made up of Investigators like Isao, who were engineered half-breeds, led by Haise Sasaki. Haise Sasaki was the personality created when Kaneki Ken had lost his memories after fighting with the CCG Shinigami, Arima Kishou, a man who kept a special eye out for Emily at the request of her father.

Though Emily hadn't actually witnessed the carnage that was the Anteiku raid two years ago, she felt the aftermath keenly. The loss off the old manager and her friend, Yoshimura Kuzen, and his two employees that fought beside him, Koma Enji and Irimi Kaya, was like a gaping hole inside her heart, though her father had been adamant Yoshimura's daughter, Eto, wouldn't let her father die. It wasn't just Ghouls who lost their lives and part of themselves that night either. Suzuya Juuzou had lost the only parental figure he had, his partner Shinohara Yukinori, and his leg for his bravery against the One-Eyed Owl. Emily had only met both Investigators a few times, but she had liked them as much as she could like people whose job it was to kill her friends and family. When she'd first met Juuzou, he was a little eccentric but cute in a crazy kind of way. After the fight with the Owl, and seeing Shinohara practically die in front of him, Juuzou's brain snapped. Whilst he still held some of his former childish mannerisms, there were times when he had a far away look in his eyes, a sort of hollowness, almost like he'd lost his innocence. But Juuzou hadn't been the only one to suffer terribly that night either. Kaneki's best friend, Nagachika Hideyoshi, a boy Emily had only spoken to once, had disappeared without a trace. She'd heard from Toshio a few days later that Hide was never supposed to be there, he went to protect his friend. Emily didn't doubt that the two had met up and though she didn't want to believe Kaneki had something to do with his disappearance, she could never be certain especially since his memories had been buried.

Touka and Renji had opened up a new cafe called :Re, Emily and Toshio were regulars along with Nishiki Nishio although he had pursed a slightly different course. Relinquishing his position as a waiter, Emily had heard that he'd gone off on his own as a type of vigilante. Tsukiyama, like Hide, had practically vanished without a trace. Nishiki had said he'd been present when Kaneki had turned up to help fight against the CCG and both himself and Tsukiyama had asked him to stay out of it - it had been the manager's wish after all. When Kaneki didn't listen, Tsukiyama had sunk into a deep depression. Both Nishiki and Touka believed he'd starved himself to death.

As for Emily's life, working for both the CCG and Aogiri had given her more than her share of worry despite Eto giving her a lot more freedom than before in return for information about the CCG movements. The only time she came in contact with the real leader and her number two, Tatara, was when one of their underlings were injured and needed medical aid. Other than that, both parties left each other alone. Emily's relationship with her father was slowly rebuilding; after six years believing he'd been dead, it was hard for her to accept that he'd been lying to protect her. She still loved her father dearly, nothing would ever change that, but she'd realized that he was more than just the man she remembered. He was strong, possibly stronger even than Eto herself, and his mind was as sharp as Uta's. He also seemed to approve of her relationship with Touka's brother Ayato, despite his affiliation with Aogiri and his temper.

Once a week, Emily and Ayato would walk past the burnt remains of Anteiku, the symbol of hope and acceptance that had once been a shining glory in the 20th Ward. The place Emily and Ayato had first met. A place where the staff had been friendly and warm, and the coffee filled with love and respect. A utopia in this hellish world that was now gone. Yoshimura had said Anteiku was more than just a building, it was love, hope, family. He had been right and it made Emily wonder just for how much longer could Blue Lotus keep running. For many, Anteiku and Blue Lotus were lights in the darkness, places of safety where they could turn for help and understanding without fear of being judged or betrayed. One of those lights had been snuffed out and the other left flickering dimly. In a world were everyone fought to survive, good and bad were objective and both sides lacked understanding of the other - how could hope for a better tomorrow bloom? How could Emily and Ayato stay together? Those were the questions that Emily's father believed she could answer. He believed she would bring both sides together in peace and though Emily was doubting her own strength, she continued to fight slowly with her father, her lover and her friends by her side.

The time would soon come for her to stop dancing with shadows and embrace the light.

Well, that's it folks.

I want to thank each and every one of you who showed continued support and love for this story. It means the world to me. And don't worry, this isn't the end for Emily and Ayato, it may take me a few weeks but I should be posting the first chapter of the sequel soonish.

What's to come in the sequel:

- More AyatoxEmily moments

- Ryota's vision and role within everything.

- Salt-and-pepper Haise

- Uta's secret life

- Juuzou

- Where is Hide?

- A Kirishima reunion in the weirdest possible way

- Eto being an absolute queen

- More badass Emily

- Quinx Squad

- Plus heaps more goodies

Coming Next: The Binding Shadow

Update: The first chapter of the Binding Shadow is now up.