It was simple really.

Endearingly simple.

It was something she had vowed deep in her secret heart from the moment she first saw Kaneki, first peered into his future: that she would protect him no matter what.

So, launching herself into battle was inevitable. That look of shock and dismay on his face was inevitable. Her death, even, was inevitable.

But she didn't care about any of that. She would survive, she knew that much. This world would not allow her to die, not now, not ever.

So, even as her wings were torn and burned, she didn't cry, she didnt scream. The pain she had taken from Kaneki had been so much worse. And it was this man's fault.

"I'll kill you!" She snarled at Ayato, launching herself in the air again, feathers coming down ahead of her, stabbing into his flesh, but that wasn't enough to even hurt him.

However, he was slowing down, the poison would do that.

Angry, he ripped at her wings again, but she didn't react in the slightest. She shot more feathers at him, lighting them in fire.

Even set ablaze, the offending ghoul kept attacking.

Dirty, wounded, bleeding, she still didn't stop. She felt her body dying. Maybe this, at last, was her end.

Kaneki smelled it, and it was like he slammed into an invisible wall. The scent of blood washed over him, horrible. He stopped and closed his eyes. Maybe if he stayed very still and didn't open them he could convince himself that this was all just a bad dream, that he would wake up in a few hours next to Kuri

He heard her scream again, and still he didn't move.

"I need you, Kaneki." Even dying, her voice was stronger then he could ever hope to be. Kaneki opened his eyes then and stared at her. Kuri was crying.

"I don't think I can do this." Kaneki said. "What am I supposed to do without you?!"

Her grip on his shoulders tightened. "Yes, you can. You have to live, for me."

Kaneki was on his knees clutching the blood-soaked shirt she was wearing. She coughed and gagged, and blood sprayed from her mouth and nose.

Kaneki crouched in front of Kuri. "It's going to be okay. I promise. It's going to be okay."

Kuri was crying, and her tears were tinged red. She shook her head. "It's not. It can't be. I'm dying." Her voice was weak and gurgled as she tried to speak through the blood hemorrhaging in her lungs and throat.

"I'm staying with you. I won't let you be alone," Kaneki said.

Kuri grasped Kaneki's hand and he was shocked by how cold hers was. "I'm scared, Ken."

Ken. She finally called him Ken. Why now?

"I know, I'm scared, too. But we'll get through this together. I promise."

Kaneki took off his shirt, then he started wiping Kuri's face and mouth, but she started coughing again and he couldn't keep up. There was just too much blood. And now Kuri was shaking so hard that she couldn't hold a towel herself. With a cry, Kaneki pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her, and like she was a child, he began rocking her, telling her over and over that it would be all right, that he wouldn't leave her.

It was then that her eyes blazed silver. "Ken…I'm not scared anymore…"

I AM! He wanted to scream. Or beg her to stay. If she was a Ghoul she would have healed by now! Why, why was he wishing for such a horrible thing?!

Kuri lifted a bloody hand to his cheek. "Be well, Ken. I love you. At least now…can you be my boyfriend, for just a minute…like with Rize?"

Kaneki nodded quickly, whispering. "I always thought of you like that. From the moment you interrupted my date."

"Then…see you later, boyfriend…"

"Goodbye Kuri…" Kaneki closed his eyes. An enigma to the end, saying something so sharply painful as "see you later."

There would be no later.

Not for anyone.

This world that killed Kuri was wrong.

He had to remove the rot.

Kaneki closed his eyes and centered himself.

A thousand minus seven was…