A/N: This is a full chapter (for those curious) and I hope you enjoy it! I'm going to try and publish a new chapter every 1-3 days, but keep in mind that I'll be going on vacation soon so the schedule might change later on. Also, I did first-person in some parts of the story so it was easier to express what the character was feeling. Please tell me if it was alright or if I should change it. I did another story completely in first person during the time I stopped updating and I think I got a bit used to it, although I do think it might need some improvement.

Chapter 18:

Lith's POV:

What am I going to do? Ayato kissed me! What am I supposed to do? Didn't I reject him? What did they mean 'steamy'!?

"Lith! Are you in there?" called Karissa as she banged on my door. It's been a few hours since I locked myself in, so she was probably worried.

"Yeah, I'm just going to head out though." I responded. I really needed to get some food, I'm getting kinda hungry. I opened my door and walked passed Karissa. Actually, I had the day off, right? Maybe I should also check on Arima?

"I'll go with you!" said Karissa suddenly.

"That's not a very good idea… you should probably go see if Yoka is alright." I responded.

"Why? What's wrong with Yoka?" Oh shit. She didn't know I almost killed her yesterday. Probably not the best thing to tell her.

"Well, you fought a bit yesterday so she's probably worried about you." I lied. I really didn't want to worry her. I think I went a little too far, but it's not a very good idea to anger me…

"Really? Is that why I slept here?" she asked. Did she have a concussion?

"Uh, yeah. But if she tries to kill you, tell me." I said suspiciously.

"Right…ok so I'll be off."

"Bye!"

Karissa left and I sat down on the couch. I was planning to leave, but I just wanted to see the news a bit. It's good to be informed. I pressed the power button on the remote control and went to the news channel.

"That's right, the CCG are having a public speech about the incident tonight."

At first I didn't really think of this report indifferently until I read the caption at the bottom of the screen. Ghoul saves investigator? Oh, great. Because I obviously want the CCG to keep a close eye on me while I have a completely crazy life. Obviously.

Maybe I shouldn't leave the house for a while. It could be a bit dangerous if I needed to use my mask. No. I can't live in fear, just like I did in V. I can do this. Maybe. Hopefully.

Reader's POV:

"Eto, I've got some bad news." said Tatara as he approached the bandaged ghoul.

"What? Is it about Lith?"

"No, unfortunately a ghoul has been accepted into the CCG."

"And who is this ghoul?" she asked curiously.

"Kaneki Ken. Also known as Centipede or Eyepatch."

"That sounds so interesting!" giggled Eto. She found the misery and complications in someones life amusing. She thought it was her calling in life, to ruin others. It was so entertaining and she loved the feeling of being in control. Of course, that was all to prepare the One-Eyed-King. She was expecting 'it' to reveal itself to everyone. A powerful being, stronger than anyone, to recreate the dreadful world that they lived in. To fix the wrongs and set them to its ideals. Quite the fantastic thought, only this was not fantasy. This was a reality.

Lith walked around the streets of the 20th ward. When she decided that she was going to need some help to find the coffee shop, she asked a stranger.

"Ne, do you know where the coffee shop Re: is?" Lith asked calmly. The ghoul turned around in surprise before giving directions. "Thank you!"

Lith jogged across the street and turned to the left. She immediately saw the inviting coffee shop. Lith walked in and heard the bell ring. She was immediately hit with the smell of coffee. Not that she was complaining though.

"Welco-Lith-chan!" said Touka as she walked up to her. Somehow she seemed friendlier but at the same time broken. Had something happened to her?

"Touka-san!" Lith squealed as she hugged her. Even though they had talked the night before, they needed to catch up.

"How are you?"

"I'm…to be honest kinda worried." replied Lith sincerely. She felt like she needed to get things off her chest. It was getting quite stressful.

"Why? What happened?" asked Touka as she signalled to a back room. Lith followed her and let the door close before telling Touka.

"I attacked a dove out of rage but then took him to the hospital because I didn't mean to hurt him that bad. And now it's on the news." Lith said as she shifted nervously towards a couch. The room looked similarly to Anteiku's, including the three tea cups that were on display. They weren't the exact same, but they were there to symbolize something.

"That was you?" asked Touka angrily. Why was she like that? Should Lith have told her? Should she have trusted her?

"Yes…" mumbled Lith, looking away.

"You need to be more careful. You don't know what you're getting yourself into." she said harshly.

"I'm sorry!" squeaked Lith before running out. She wasn't expecting this backlash. What was she supposed to do? The only people who knew about this were Touka and Ayato. Lith felt tears fall from her face but she didn't care. She felt so alone. Nobody understood what she was going through. Nobody could relate to her. Nobody could support her. Nobody could help her. Maybe she should just end it then and there. It would help a lot of people. She wouldn't be able to hurt anyone that way. She wouldn't make them suffer.

Lith had slipped on her mask as she ran across the roofs of the buildings in Tokyo. She knew it was dangerous. She knew that it was a death wish. She knew it was daytime. She knew that people were watching. But she didn't care. She swung and used her kagune to leap through certain parts. If she fell, too bad. If she didn't, she'd jump off later either way.

By the time she stopped, she was atop a large construction site. It looked abandoned and she could see the sun setting. It looked absolutely stunning.

"Nice view, huh?" asked an eerie voice. It sounded almost childish, yet haunting at the same time.

"Yeah…" said Lith, creeped out. She turned around and saw a ghoul with bandages that covered her entire body as well as wearing a purple colour dress with a hood. Lith instantly recognized her.

"Eto!" screeched Lith in surprise as she stood up and almost fell off the steel. She panicked for a moment before remembering that everything would be over soon. She relaxed and lied down. It was an odd thing to do, but Lith didn't feel like trying to look normal in front of someone.

"You're acting weird." pointed out Eto as she stood 'towering' above her.

"Noooo, really?" said Lith sarcastically.

"Are you alright, your highness?" she asked blantly. Lith didn't know what to think of the nickname. Was it sarcastic? Was it a joke? An insult? Or was she serious?

"Not really. My life is really messed up, you know?" Lith said sighing.

"Mine is too." said the bandaged ghoul as she sat down beside her. It was a really strange feeling, but Lith felt like Eto might actually be the only one who understood her. Honestly, she had heard rumours about her. They were all horrible. And they all came down to V. Maybe they weren't all that different?

"Why are you here?"

"I followed you. I heard you were causing trouble for the CCG." So she was like a stalker?

"Oh."

"Do you want to tell me what's on your mind?" asked Eto gently, almost as though a mother would approach their daughter. Lith was about to reject the 'offer' when she suddenly began to spill all her worries. She felt so much better talking to someone about it. Of course, she was careful not mentioning Ayato. She didn't want to cause him trouble in Aogiri, although she had the strange feeling that Eto already knew. It was almost scary.

"So what are you planning to do now?" asked Eto, sighing.

"'Jump off the building and end it all." Lith said bluntly. Eto looked at her suddenly. Lith couldn't tell what Eto's expression was like, but by now she didn't care anymore.

"Why?"

"Didn't I just tell you? Don't you know my backstory? You infiltrated V so you already know the only reason I'm alive."

"But why don't you join me?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm jumping to stop myself from hurting other people in the future. I'm not stable!" lashed Lith.

"But you can change that, right? Just like you didn't kill the dove." replied Eto, surprisingly motivationally. Lith thought for a moment. For once she actually agreed with Eto. She was right. She could change her actions. She could use her strength to help others.

"Maybe you're right." whispered Lith. She began to climb down the incomplete building before jumping off a few stories down. It wasn't dangerous, at least compared to the very top. A large dust cloud formed and just as it was about to clear up, Eto jumped off as well.

Lith began to cough, as she was not expecting the sand. "Ne, give me a warning next time!"

Eto only giggled at her before saying, "If we hurry, we might make it to the CCG's public speech."

"Are you seriously planning on going?" asked Lith as she dusted herself off.

"Why not? Humans in denial are very entertaining, not to mention hilarious!" she said, barely managing to stop herself from bursting into laughter at the thought. Lith stayed there in silence, debating whether to go or not. When she looked up, Eto was gone.

"Wait for me!" cried out Lith as she caught a bit of her scent coming from a distance.

Lith's POV:

"Right this way, miss." said a guard as he pointed at an RC scanner. I walked through the gate confidently as I knew it wouldn't detect me. This was one of the times that I was almost glad that I came from V. Somehow my RC cells weren't detected, at least not above average. It was especially important to me, since I had a lot of them, mostly because of my kakuja.

I walked in separately from Eto, as she was attracting attention from reporters and fans alike. Her books seemed to be more famous than I first expected them to be. It was surprising, really. Although somehow I was able to relate to many, which I found strange at the time until I found out that she was a ghoul. But the question still lingered: how did she not set off the alarm?

"Quite strange to find someone so young here." said a man. I looked up and saw a dove. Somehow, he seemed untrustworthy. He had spiky white hair and his mouth was covered. He seemed really scary. Hadn't she seen him in the 20th Ward fighting one of the waitresses of Anteiku a while ago?

"Uh, it's nice to be informed…" said Lith quietly before trying to lose him in the crowd. Many people had come to the speech. Was this really all because she had taken Arima to the hospital? She managed to get to the very front of the room and get a clear view of the stage. From the corner of her eye she could see multiple people sitting in chairs that lined the side of the stage. Everyone there looked super professional, wearing suits and formal attire.

A man walked up to the podium and began to speak. "Citizens of Tokyo," So formal, I thought sarcastically. "I'm sure everyone is aware of what happened last night. On the behalf of the CCG, I would like to inform everybody that ghoul countermeasure laws will remain the same."

What? After all this, they still think it's okay to just kill a ghoul on the spot? Without an explanation? I thought that the way this had been publicized, maybe they would have a second thought about all of this. Was I just being naive?

I was suddenly pushed to the left. I was about to tell them to be careful, but then I began to be squished between reporters trying to get a comment from the spokesman. Their questions began to ring in my ears, a little too clearly. It was just as Eto had said. They were going to pretend as if nothing had ever happened! They were going to be in denial, and drag the entire ghoul population with them! What was going on in their puny minds? At this point, did they even have them?

"What do you think about ghouls?" asked a reporter.

"They are selfish beings who kill for enjoyment."

"What about their children?" asked a writer

"No comment."

This was ridiculous. Before I knew what I was doing, I slid on my mask and pushed my way to the podium. "Excuse me, but I don't think you have a right to judge us." I said to the spokesman before pushing him off (gently, might I add). I immediately caught the attention of the crowd, as they began to point microphones and cameras at my face. Surprisingly, they didn't seem afraid of me. That was a good start. Although I think that if this was any other ghoul up here, they would already be dead.

I heard multiple people running towards me, quinques in hand. Great.

"Uh, first of all, hi." I said awkwardly. What was I supposed to say? I had no idea what I was doing, but I can't just run away. A blond woman tried to whip me with her quinque but I quickly formed my rinkaku. It grabbed the lady's quinque and smashed it in half. "As you can see, not all ghouls kill for enjoyment." I stated.

"You are misinformed. Ghouls are living, just like you and me. We have feelings, friends, and family." I snapped another quinque in half. I was honestly amused by the fact that the audience was just watching and snapping pictures. Poor CCG, they were getting embarrassed. Not that I cared. "We just have a different diet. And not all ghouls kill. Some look for dead corpses and eat those instead. I just noticed that it may sound gross, but it's better than ending someone's life."

I saw the audience just gawk at me. This time, a group of young Investigators ran towards me without quinques. That was strange, honestly. A boy with black hair suddenly sprouted a kagune and began to attack me ferociously. I let a gasp escape. I jumped back, worried that he might actually manage to hit me. What was I supposed to do? The other Investigators sprouted kagunes and began to attack me. What was this? How was I supposed to stop them without actually hurting them!?

An idea popped into my head. What if I knocked him out? I could use a pressure point technique that I learned a while ago. "Ne, careful with those. They could hurt someone." I said, chuckling, trying to distract them, even if it was for a few seconds. They all stopped, except for the black haired boy. Was he crazy? He could seriously injure someone. "Are you insane?" I said before running quickly behind him. He collapsed instantly, although his kagune didn't retract.

"What did you do!?" screamed a light orange haired boy.

"Calm down, shark boy!" I said playfully, trying to mask my stress. "He's just unconscious." I wrapped my kagune around the black haired boy's body and gently dropped him in front of his friend. I really didn't want to cause any trouble, but in all honesty they started it.

I saw a large crowd of investigators push through the crowd and climb up the stage. "Well that's it for today folks!" I said comedically into the microphone as I quickly backed away from the podium and did a mocking princess bow. Just as a quinque was about to hit me, I ran quickly, away from everyone's sight.

A/N: Lith is going to get herself killed one of these days if she keeps this up! Just saying... ;)