KuzuRe

by Remus973

Tokyo, Japan. After a devastating invasion took place, the city is restored to is former state. However, ghouls still lurk in the darkness, hunting for humans to feed upon. The Ghoul Countermeasure Bureau (GCB) creates an enhanced squad to exterminate all ghouls, once and for all. Leading the squad, they assign Haise Yashida, who possesses an effective, and very familiar, mutation.

18. Ch18

Good to see you all again. Let's not waste another second. In this chapter, Touka and Ayato are reunited with their mother and father, and Yomo with his sister. Just as Kisho Arima threatens to rip them apart again, Kaneki steps up to fight him. It's the fight of a lifetime against the number one Investigator of the Japanese GCB vs. the son of the Wolverine. Let's go!

Chapter 18 – volt: stay together

Kaneki took out his smartphone to ask,

"Delta, how's everyone?"

"They are at Hikari's cell, where Touka reunited with her mother. Laura used her flesh to help Hikari get back to full health."

"Good to know. What about Hide and Ayato?"

"They are currently on the run from Kisho Arima."

Kaneki stopped for one moment when Delta mentioned that name.

"Are you sure, Delta?"

"Positive. Kisho Arima has already completed an assignment involving the ghoul known as Shachi."

Delta then displayed an image of the ghoul is question. Kaneki instantly remembered who he was.

"I know him."

"Do you?"

"...he handed my ass to me when we first met. Now I'll never get my payback..."

Delta noticed how Kaneki's rose within him and attempted to defuse the situation.

"Perhaps we should focus on the task at hand."

Kaneki calmed himself down as he replied,

"You're right. How far am I from Mr. Kirishima?"

"The spot right where you are now, but one floor below you."

"Thanks, Delta."

Kaneki deactivated his smartphone and jumped off the floor he stood on to hang on to the railing of the floor beneath him and steeping foot on the floor, right in front of Arata's cell.

"There you are."

SNIKT!

Kaneki tore apart the lock on the cell door and entered inside, only to discover that the cell was empty.

"He's supposed to be here..."

Kaneki caught a scent, to which he looked up to see someone who looked like Ayato, but older. Kaneki ran out of the way before he can get the jump on him.

"Are you-?"

Arata leapt towards the one who he saw as his enemy. Kaneki tried to ask for Arata's name, but eventually learned that Arata currently allowed his rage to dictate his actions.

"Just wait!"

Arata yelled in order to give fear to the one he is fighting against. Constantly trying to dodge his attacks irritated Kaneki to no end.

"He's not listening to me. Guess we're more alike than I thought..."

Kaneki then decide on a move that will force Arata to answer his questions. As Arata charged towards him, Kaneki found the opportunity as he grabbed Arata by his throat and pin him over the floor railing. Although Arata struggled to free himself, Kaneki proved himself stronger. He even tried to activate his kagune, but sadly cannot. Kaneki then yelled,

"WOULD IT KILL YOU TO STOP TRYING TO KILL ME?"

"AS IF I WOULD EVER GIVE YOU ANYTHING, YOU FUCKING DOVE!"

"I'm not a dove! I'm someone trying to get you out of here!"

"Bullshit!"

"Just look at me!"

Kaneki then activated his kakugan, which threw Arata for a loop. This made him calm down a little Kaneki backed off to ask him,

"Is your name Arata Kirishima?"

"How do you know me?"

"I know your son and daughter. Touka and Ayato."

Arata stood shocked before going on the offensive, much to Kaneki's irritation.

"Oh god, not again..."

Arata threw punches, to which Kaneki dodged with ease as Arata asked him,

"How do you know my children?"

"Because one of them helped me when I was at my lowest point!"

Arata stopped attack Kaneki when he confessed that fact.

"Really...?"

"Yes. Your daughter decided to trust me, even though I was the reason why she was forced to live a cruel life."

"You?"

"I'm a mutant."

"Oh...I see."

"Yes sir...but she still decided to be my friend, and I did everything a friend is supposed to do. So she can trust me when it really counted..."

"And what about my son?"

Kaneki then looked as if he struggled to say anything nice about Ayato. Arata noticed this and asked,

"Ayato doesn't like you much?"

"That's...putting it lightly."

Arata gave a sigh before telling Kaneki,

"He's always had problems warming up to other people. A good defense when it comes to humans, but it becomes a problem when it comes to other ghouls."

"Yeah, it definitely shows..."

Just now, Arata felt weak as she kneeled to the floor. Kaneki goes to his side and asks,

"You okay?"

"I'm...not as strong as I used to be...ever since they..."

"The doves?"

"Yes. They extract the kagunes of ghouls...and turn them into weapons. Some they keep alive in case some of us grows theirs back."

Kaneki now felt a measure of horror when Arata told him this.

"I never even thought of this before...no matter how anyone tries to spin it, it's like using a dead man's leg as a sword."

Kaneki then sliced off a piece of his arm and gave the piece to Arata.

"Eat this."

"I can't. Mutant flesh is actually disgusting for us ghouls."

"Look, you don't have much of a choice. I got to get you and your wife out of here."

Arata's eyes widened as his mind now became occupied with memories of Hikari as he received a bombshell of an update.

"My wife?! She's here?!"

"Yes! And right now, both your daughter and son are here to get you out of here. But we can't go anywhere if you're like this! Now shut up and take your medicine."

Although he felt Kaneki acted rude to him just now, Arata took the flesh and ate it. As Kaneki observed, Arata possessed a look on his face that signaled how much he hated the taste of his flesh. Nevertheless, he ate the flesh Kaneki gave him. When he swallowed the last of it, he then felt a sudden surge of energy. He even felt as if his kagune has returned to him.

"Oh wow. I feel like I haven't skipped a step."

"Yeah, that's my skin. When your daughter ate it, she felt her health returned to her."

"Hold on, she ate your skin?"

"...a lot has happened, sir. First things first."

"Right...lead the way..."

Arata then started to act a little embarrassed as he mentioned,

"I'm sorry. I never got your name."

Kaneki smiled a little as he puts his mask back and while answering,

"My friends and family know me as Ken Kaneki...my enemies call me...Kuzuri."

xxxxxx

Yomo finally made it to the floor where Arima is most likely to be. He frantically looked around him, only to find his opponent suspiciously absent. This made him angry as he yelled,

"ARIMA! SHOW YOURSELF!"

Yomo looked up to find Arima descending on him. Yomo sped out of the way and shot a plasma bolt with his kagune at his opponent at the spot where he will land. However, Arima proved himself faster for when he landed on the floor, he instantly got out of the way of the shot. Although frustrated, Yomo kept shooting plasma shots at the Investigator but to no avail.

"Even after all this time...the gap between me and him is still vast...it's that gap that makes it easy for monsters like Arima...to take everything from me. People like my sister...my hope."

Arima attacked his opponent with IXA, to which Yomo defended himself against. But like before, Arima stood in a much different class than Yomo.

"Despite how much the world hates ghouls like me...I try to find hope in this world. Hope in connection. I remember what Yoshimura once told me..."

flashback

"Think of connection as a flower seed. When properly planted, it grows into a flower. And some of them create seeds sometime after they bloom. It's a kind of cycle that keeps growing the more people we allow into our lives. But when people think of cycles, they think of a flat circle. When in reality...it's a spiral."

end

Yomo thought back on his days in Anteiku. Although he hid behind a gruff exterior, he enjoyed the days he spent with Yoshimura. Although he did the kind of grunt work that someone like him can only do, Yomo did such work with zero complaints because he valued what Anteiku brought to the ghoul community.

"When ghouls receive a cup of coffee, they give joy. And Touka...she did everything she could to keep the legacy alive. That's why I see her as my hope. Because of Touka, I felt I got my sister back again. If only for a little while. That's why I want to believe...that my life honestly meant something. That's my hope."

Yomo pushed the limits of his kagune into a last ditch attack that he hoped will injure Arima. He placed his hands together to form a large ball of plasma before firing it at Arima. The Investigator, however, used his Narukami to absorb Yomo's plasma shot and fired it back to him. Yomo barely stood but faced his death head-on. His last thoughts were on his sister.

"Hikari..."

At that moment, Yomo heard a voice he first believed to be his mind playing tricks on him in his last moment of life.

"RENJI!"

At that moment, Kuzuri arrived to take the attack meant to kill Yomo. Although it hurt, Kuzuri stood tall. Yomo then says,

"Kaneki..."

"Good to see you too, Yomo."

Yomo felt a measure of relief hearing Kaneki recognize him and seeing him in his costume. He also noticed that his hair was black again.

"And it looks like I'm not the only one."

Kuzuri pointed to where Touka, Laura, and Yukio just arrived with Hinami and Hikari. Yomo's mouth gaped open when he saw his sister alive again.

"Sis...?"

"Hi, Renji."

At that moment, another familiar voice spoke up.

"Hikari?"

Both Hikari and Yomo were floored to see Arata standing in front of them.

"Arata?"

Asked Hikari as she ran towards her husband. At first, he believed he will feel the embrace of his wife again. Only to receive a smack to his face. Confused by this, Arata asked,

"Hikari?"

"DON'T YOU DARE! YOU LEFT TOUKA AND AYATO ON THEIR OWN FOR 15 YEARS! 15 YEARS!"

Arata's fears came to be when Hikari discovered what he did after she "died".

"I know...you have to listen..."

At that moment, Deadpool (carrying an unconscious Hisako), Ayato, and Banjo with his group arrived to see Arima facing everyone that broke into Cochlea.

"Well, looks like everyone's here!"

Remarked Deadpool. While Ayato looked at his thought-to-be dead parents, just before he was approached his sister.

"Yeah, they were alive this entire time."

"How?"

"Me."

Said Arima, making himself known to everyone. Before he can say anything further, Yoshimura appeared as he drop in from the upper floors. He lowly grew down his kagune before everyone recognized him. Yomo, most of all.

"Yoshimura!"

"Good to see you again, Yomo..."

At that moment, Yoshimura almost feel to the floor, only for some of Banjo's group to carry him. One of them checked his vitals.

"He's really burning up!"

"Well, now's everyone's here."

The loud thud of Yoshimura's landing made Hisako reawaken.

"Looks like somebody wants back in the game."

Deadpool slowly got Hisako back on her feet as she regains consciousness. Hinami went to her to help her.

"You all right?"

"Just a nasty bump on the head."

"His fault, right?"

Asked Deadpool as he pointed to Arima with both his weapons present. Hisako also sees Kaneki in his costume and claws out.

"He's back. Thank god."

Arima then talks to Hisako.

"Investigator Ichiki, I take it that this is your resignation?"

"Unfortunately so, Investigator Arima. I have uncovered information about the GCB that compels not just to resign, but to do so in protest."

"I see...I am sorry to hear that. You're contributions to the Bureau was nothing short of laudable. It's an honest to god shame that your life has to end like this."

"You forget about me, Arima?"

Said Kuzuri as he stood between Arima and the intruders.

"No. I'm surprised that you'd be willing to stand with them, Yashida."

"They're my family, Arima. And it'll be a cold day in hell before I ever let you get to them."

Kuzuri then tells Deadpool,

"Deadpool, get everyone out of here. Get back to the exit and get everybody out here."

"Please tell me it's still there."

Asked Deadpool to Hisako.

"Yeah. I tried to protect it, but Arima knocked me out faster than I use my powers."

"Good. Let's get the hell out of here."

Banjo then exclaimed,

"You heard him! Move! You two, carry him as we run!"

The two ghouls that currently Yoshimura did what Banjo ordered. As everyone headed toward the exit, Touka asked Kuzuri,

"Kaneki! I'll see you again."

"Count on it!"

At that moment, Touka's heart lit up with a fierce hope. Not just because of what Kaneki said, but how he said it. By giving a promise with passion and determination, Touka felt some of her own as she ran to the front of the group. Ayato and Hinami ran alongside her as Ayato asked,

"You think he meant it? I mean, at least, he's not a pushover..."

"He is coming back. It took him so damn long, but he is"

Ayato felt surprised to hear Touka speak with such fervor. Holding back her tears, Hinami shared the same sentiment as she added,

"He wouldn't make a promise if he didn't meant it. So I believe him too."

Touka then asked Hisako,

"Hisako, what's the exit?"

"It's a drainage port, large enough for people to step through. It'll lead us to the disposal press."

"The disposal press?"

Asked Arata. Laura tells everyone,

"I got Delta to hack into Cochlea's computer systems. He'll turn it off when we get there."

"Then there's no time to waste. We get there alive!"

Exclaimed Yomo. Hikari laughed a little, much to his chagrin.

"What?"

"Serious as usual, Renji. It's almost like listening to dad again."

Yomo gave half a smile, although he hid it from his older sister.

xxxxxx

Kuzuri and Arima stood opposite to each off as they stared each other without saying a word. During the stare-down, Kaneki looked back on his time. As Haise.

flashback

Haise arrived in Arima's personal office, as to review one of his assignments from last week.

"Haise, Akira told me that you showed pity on a ghoul you were assigned to eliminate."

"Yes sir...I did."

"I know you're still new to the job...but this is what is demanded of you."

"I know sir. It's just..."

Arima only guessed at what went through Haise's mind right now.

"Haise...I need to know if you can do what is demanded of you. I wanted you here for a reason..."

"I know...sir..."

end

"I take it that this is your resignation as well, Haise?"

"It's Kuzuri to you, Arima. I've abandoned the name of Yashida..."

"Just like Mariko...or rather, Sayu."

"Keep my mother's name...OUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!"

Kuzuri charged toward Arima as he gave about a dozen claw swipes at him. Arima blocked the most of the initial attacks at him with IXA. However, with each attack he blocked, he sees IXA being chipped apart. Arima then switches to an agility-based defense as he dodged the rest of his opponent's claw swipes. Kuzuri's notices this.

"He knows all about me. How I go for the offensive. And what my claws are made of. That's why he switched to dodging my attacks. Thankfully, I also know about Arima..."

Kuzuri remembered, as Haise, how he managed to defeat Arima in a sparring match.

"Even though this is leagues apart from that day, I know I have a chance. But it's gonna be a bitch to go through, that's for sure..."

Arima observed Kuzuri after checking to make sure that none of his opponent's claw swipes landed on him. Kuzuri sees this and remembered all the times he mentored him on the finer aspects of fighting.

"I remember all that he had taught me. Or rather...all the things I had to "re-learn" under his wing. But more than that."

Kuzuri charged toward Arima once again, but this time he retracted his claw to switch to the fist-based offensive. Arima blocked each punch Kuzuri delivered, but observed how Kuzuri moved with a certain kind of agility that bordered on performance art. Kuzuri sees this and wondered to himself,

"Arima is the kind of man who almost never lets anyone see what's in his mind...or heart. When he saw me on the opposite side, did he feel angry? Disappointment? Jealously? Either way, this I know...I could never understand you, no matter how hard I tried."

Although it did hurt when his punches and kicks only landed on Arima's IXA, Kuzuri maintained his offensive against the Investigator.

"But when I was Haise, what I wanted was what a lot of Investigators close to him wanted. To understand him better. To know...what makes him...human."

As the fight went on, Kuzuri looked back on when he used to work in Arima's squad for six months before becoming a lone Investigator for the wo and a half years.

"In all the time I worked for him, I wonder if I ever lived up to his expectations. And right now..."

Kuzuri switched from offense when he tried to land a hit on Arima, to defense as the Investigator used Narukami to land a hit on Kuzuri. Only for his mutant to prove himself as agile as he is. Kuzuri then noticed that a part of the floor opened by itself and Arima attempted to put Kuzuri near said opening.

"Wait, I remember now..."

Before he can react, Arima pierced Kuzuri in this lower chest and pushed him over the edge of the opening that appeared. Both fell down for a long while before they landed in on a floor, filled with nothing but white flowers. Kuzuri sees the flowers and remembered what kind of promise Arima made to him when he used to be Haise.

flashback

"When we have the opportunity, I'd like to take you somewhere."

"Where exactly, sir?"

"A field of flowers at the foot of a cliff. I want to take you there sometime..."

end

Kuzuri wondered if this was what he talked about, although he doubted it. Meanwhile, when he saw the flowers around him, Arima looked back in his time in the place where it held flowers such as the ones around him.

flashback

Young Arima stood in a place called the Sunlit Garden. He sees a butterfly fluttering near him and tries to catch it. As he failed, one of the caretakers sees him doing something unusual and asked,

"What is it, Kisho?"

"...I tried to catch an insect. I failed..."

end

Both Arima and Kuzuri continued to exchange blows to each other in rapid succession, with Kuzuri with his claws and Arima with both Narukami and IXA. None of their respective strikes landed on each other as Kuzuri felt his ferocity kept getting nullified by Arima's mastery of his weapons. However, he eventually saw an opportunity to finally land a hit on Arima, close to his face. Kuzuri aimed his right fist at Arima's right face cheek. Arima sees this and narrowly dodged the incoming punch. Kuzuri expected this.

"I learned to do this when I faced Shachi. Hope this works..."

SNIKT!

Kuzuri brought out his claws as they were in range of Arima's face. Arima sees this and leaned his body further away from Kuzuri's claws. Despite this move, the tip of the claw positioned between his ring finger and pinkie managed to land a cut on Arima's neck. This compelled Arima to move at speeds faster than what then even he was capable of. From Kuzuri's point of view, Arima stopped time to hit him in his blind spot. Arima delivered a kick powerful enough to slam Kuzuri to a nearby wall. He then feels the spot where Kuzuri landed an attack, where he discovers that it has begun to bleed.

"All that effort...for a single scratch."

Kuzuri slowly got back up as he sees Arima looking at his blood from the cut he gave earlier.

"I remember all the times I sparred with him. It's like an artist repeating the same expression in any creative work. Most believe it's to show how adapt they are in that specific form...in reality, it's a sign of their insecurity."

As Kuzuri fully stood, Arima stares at him.

"It was a scratch at first, and he'll adapt to whatever I do next...but I got my own trump cards. Right now, I feel like a lumberjack chopping into an old tree. No matter how thick the wood is, the more I keep going at it..."

Kuzuri's injuries given to him by Arima began to heal by themselves.

" The sooner it falls."

Kuzuri charged towards him again. Arima went on the defensive again as he blocked the claw swipes with both his quinques once more.

"It's unnoticeable by most...but you tend to defend your right side a little more. That blind spot of yours leaves you vulnerable."

Kuzuri readied himself to take full advantage of Arima's vulnerability. However, Arima knew about his own weak spot all too well and used to his own advantage. At the moment where Kuzuri believed victory is within his grasp, Arima summoned all his strength to deliver a pair of powerful blows with both IXA and Narukami aimed at Kuzuri's legs. Although he knew he could not dodge it, Kuzuri had the idea of using his claws to minimize the damage Arima's attack will do to him. Although Kuzuri blocked the attack to his legs, the impact of Arima's attack to his claws felt so powerful that the shockwave almost dislocated Kuzuri's arms. His legs profusely bled from the shockwave of Arima's legs to the point that Kuzuri fell to the ground. As Kuzuri languished on the ground, Arima tells him,

"Is this it?"

Kuzuri breathed heavily as his healing factor took its time to restore his arms and legs from Arima's earlier hits.

"Is this how the Kuzuri dies again?"

For one moment, Kuzuri saw images of his loved ones as corpses rotting behind Arima before remembering his time as Haise again. Specifically, when he talked with a number of GCB Investigators.

flashback

Ui: He's a genius almost beyond measure. Simply put, if Arima dedicated his life to science, he would certainly outclass someone like Bruce Banner.

Ihei: He's really strong.

Fura: I've known the man for quite so long...but at the same time, I don't really know him, if it makes sense...

Kuramoto: He's someone those too close to him idolize. And I should know, I'm one of them.

Akira: Without a doubt, he's one of the finest Investigators in not just in history of the Japanese branch, but in the entire organization across the globe.

end

In all the praise Kuzuri remembered, as Arima slowly approached his still-recovering opponent, Kuzuri came to a realization.

"He doesn't see me...the way others see him. Both Investigators and ghouls see Arima as the Reaper. Everyone either praises or damns him, but no one understands him. Not even me...and I admit, for a time...I saw him as an older brother."

Arima got close to Kuzuri to place the tip of IXA near his kakugan.

"Was this the plan, Kuzuri?"

"Actually...this was the plan."

Kuzuri's right arm finally healed itself, just in time for Kuzuri to perform a tiny flick on IXA with his fingers. What happened next threw Arima for a loop. IXA broke into pieces in front of him, leaving only the handle. By the time Arima realized fully understood what just happened, Kuzuri's left arm and both his legs were fully healed. He then went on the offensive again, with Arima using Narukami as his weapon. Kuzuri leapt backwards to gain distance, to which Arima used Narukami to fire a plasma bolt at where Kuzuri will land. But much like with IXA, Narukami broke into pieces as well. For Arima to be surprised two times in a row, Kuzuri felt a little proud of himself.

"I had a pretty good idea of what would happen to me if I blocked your quinques with my claws with the force you gave behind the hit to my legs. It hurt like hell, and it got me in a bad spot that I knew you wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of...but I was willing to bet my life that adamantium was stronger than quinque steel."

Arima threw away both remnants of his former weapons as he replied,

"Messy...but effective. If it wasn't for your healing factor, Kuzuri, I could've killed you 645 times. When I first discovered you, Kuzuri, you possessed the instincts of an animal. But...I acknowledged not just your strength, but also your ferocity. Your determination...your ability to survive whatever hell was thrown at you. For Vasuki, they wanted what made you unstoppable. For me...I wanted to help you become an Investigator worthy of this world. Worthy of my legacy. And what did you choose instead?"

Kuzuri stood apprehensive of Arima's next move, as well as skeptical of what Arima spoke to him about.

"What I choose...is to chase after the intruders that you're trying to buy time for and kill them all. That...is my goal."

SNIKT! SNIKT!

Kuzuri brought out both his claws in response to Arima's threat.

"These two speak for themselves. I'd like to say this wouldn't be a fair fight...but I'm not in the mood for that right now."

Arima then took out his smartphone before resuming his conversation.

"Seems as though my time guiding you was a waste."

"That's what you get for unrealistic expectations. I am what I'm gonna be, and you're just gonna have to suck it up."

Arima then tapped on his smartphone with his thumb before making a call.

"I'm in the basement. Bring it here."

A black attaché case descended to the floor as Arima took a couple of steps backwards to let it land in front of him.

"This quinque was made from the kakuhou of the Owl. Or as you call him...Yoshimura."

The form of the quinque was that of a lance with a long handle and a jagged blade of the same length.

"Its name is Owl, a quinque that possesses antarctic-vibranium coating. Do you know what it is...Kuzuri?"

"Anti-metal."

"Precisely. Vasuki took great lengths to procure it from the Wakandan outpost in Antarctica. They sacrificed many of their own in order to capture a small amount. Enough to make this weapon effective against the Wolverine. In other words...this weapon is your death."

As Arima raised his weapon, his quinque began to change its form. Then, with one swing, a large gust of wind almost blew Kuzuri away as he internally remarked,

"That quinque...it almost felt like Arima created a tornado with one fell swoop."

Arima sped towards Kuzuri and almost cut his opponent's neck off. Kuzuri however, leapt to the right to dodge Arima's strike. But the backdraft of the swing almost threw him off balance.

"Not enough he can stand in the heart of the storm, but the way he can wield this weapon without breaking a sweat...Mold must've been obliterated when they made him."

Kuzuri knew he had to close the distance between him and Arima.

"They way Arima uses that quinque...I have to get in close to get a shot at him."

Arima prepared for another swing, to which Kuzuri sees the opportunity.

"NOW OR NEVER!"

Kuzuri sped towards Arima as his arms were still up. Arima anticipated this and switched the direction of the bladed side of his weapon. Kuzuri notices this, and realized he acted the way Arima expected him to as Arima allowed Owl to drop behind him. At that moment, Arima grabbed Owl with his other hand and dealt an upward swing at Kuzuri. The damage presented itself a fiercely severe as the attack from Owl not just tore through his body but also dealt serious damage to Kuzuri's adamantium-coated ribs. Kuzuri resisted the urge to cry out his pain but did not deny how serious his situation is. The metal of his bones were considered to be the strongest in the world, second only to what is located in Wakanda. Even taking out of consideration what Owl is coated with, how Arima used his weapon and the strength behind such an attack made Kuzuri fear for his life. At that moment, his body reacted on his own. Kuzuri felt his berserker rage act on its own. It took control of Kuzuri's mind, relentlessly attack Arima despite the major damage done by him earlier. Arima remembered the last time this happened.

"His berserker rage is now active. Now it will not matter how severe the injuries I give him. He will not stop until I am dead."

Kuzuri sped towards Arima and gave a series of claw swipes at him, with some scratches landing on Arima, albeit said scratches were light. Nonetheless, Arima knew that he can no longer rely on massive swings against the Kuzuri in this state.

"Time to switch tactics..."

Arima twisted the lower end of the handle of Owl for it to transform into another form. Although still possessing jagged edges, said edges were less apparent as Owl now resembled a rapier. This form focused on speed and precision. With his strength, Arima dealt a series of swift and merciless attacks against the Kuzuri. Said attacks not just landed but achieved the same results as the other form. Arima even imitated the same approach the Kuzuri did with both IXA and Narukami.

"Much like you, I too, am tenacious in achieving my goals."

Arima continued his rapid assault against Kuzuri. As the berserker rage slowly dwindled, Kuzuri gradually became aware of what is happening to him.

"My body is slowly pulling apart...like potatoes after boiling in water for too long...no matter how you see it...this has become a one-sided battle."

He felt his entire world go black as he fell to the ground again, although it looked for good. Kuzuri's mind went to a familiar place.

xxxxxx

Kaneki now stood in the same mindscape as before. Still water over a vast blue sky. However, this time, what also stood present was his childhood home. As he entered inside, he sees the interior of his house the same as before. He explored inside to see the family kitchen the same as before. Right down to the lingering smell of hamburger steak, his favorite meal his mother almost always cooked for him. Then he went upstairs to find his room, but not before seeing the room his parents shared. When he finally made it to his, he finds it the same as he once remembered. Books as much as he could fit. When his furniture was not occupied with his clothes or school-related items, books took their place. However, he opened his closet to find a certain outfit his mother made him. As well as much books he could fit in said closet.

"Mom used to be annoyed by how many books I had..."

"Well, she got over it sooner or later."

Kaneki felt a jolt when he heard a familiar voice. He turned around to see no one behind him, but instead he caught the whiff of a familiar smell. As he walked toward the source, he recognized the smell as he descended down the stairs.

"Cigar smoke..."

Kaneki went outside to the backyard to see his father smoking.

"Dad?"

Logan turned around to see his son standing near the back door.

"Hey Ken."

"Dad...how are you...?"

"Same way as you."

Logan took another puff of his cigar as Kaneki remarked,

"Mom didn't like when you smoked."

"That's why I try to finish one of these before she came back home from shopping."

Kaneki then felt a memory flash in his mind.

"Right...I remember how pissed off you were when Mom found your cigar collection."

Logan then had a sour look on his face as he replied,

"Don't remind me."

Kaneki then looked at the rest of the backyard to find a dirt path that led into the forest. Logan sees this and asks,

"This remind you of anything?"

"Yeah...when I wasn't reading..."

"You went in there, being a kid. Exploring the woods..."

"Sometimes I wonder if I spent more time in nature than being around kids my age..."

"I was never bothered with it, but your Mom..."

"I remember when she said that we were moving to Tokyo. As sad as I was with losing you...I didn't want to leave."

Kaneki started to cry a little.

"Then again...because you were gone, everything stopped making me happy. Even my books...at least for a while."

Logan then had a sad look on his face before telling his son,

"Yeah...I really wanted things that happened...to happen differently."

"I know, Dad. You wanted to not just come back home, but bring Laura to have as my big sister."

Logan gave a slight chuckle before asking,

"So she told you?"

"Yeah...but I also have your memories. Remember?"

Kaneki pointed to his head to indicate the fact that Weapon X implanted a piece of his father's brain into his own as a means to transfer any aspect of the Wolverine into him.

"Bastards..."

Remarked Logan, with Kaneki replying,

"No question about it. Even though they were gone..."

Logan sees his son gripping one of his fists tightly.

"Still pissed?"

"At one of them, at least..."

Kaneki then relaxed his fist as he realized,

"But really..."

Kaneki then started to entertain a certain idea.

"But if you're here...that means-"

"Nope."

Said Logan before he took another puff of his cigar.

"Huh? But then, why-?"

"It is because of me."

Just after Kaneki heard a voice talk to him, an image of a firebird appeared in the sky above the house before a familiar figure to Kaneki slowly walked out of the forest.

"Requiem?"

Kaneki recognized the figure to be Gold Experience Requiem walking by itself before floating up into the sky, in front of firebird. Kaneki finally remembered what the bird truly was.

"Phoenix."

"Correct, Ken Kaneki. I am the Phoenix, assuming the form of Gold Experience Requiem. To speak to you."

"Why? I thought everything was settled when I allowed you to use my body to save my world."

"Indeed. Your cooperation in defeating D'Ken and retrieving the M'Kraan crystal was indispensable. However, I am here for a different reason."

Both Kaneki and Logan stood curious as to wonder what the Phoenix wanted with them now.

"I am here to inform you of this. During the time we were joined as one, my power damaged your body faster than your healing factor could repair. Hence why you entered into a death-like state."

"Why I was indoctrinated to being the grandson of the world's biggest coward."

"Got that right."

Added Logan. The Phoenix continued with,

"When your body finally recovered, it also became better accustomed to hosting cosmic energies. To the point that it triggered another mutation within your body."

Kaneki stood surprised when he heard such a claim.

"Another mutation?"

"What kind we talking about?"

Asked Logan. The Phoenix explained,

"It turns out you are capable of some measure of psychic abilities. Not like that of the Professor, Emma or Jean. Rather they will manifest similar to that of Hisako."

Kaneki imagined himself creating psionic armor similar to what Hisako creates. The Phoenix senses this and corrects him.

"Not exactly like her, but rather..."

"How can I control this power? Please tell me!"

The Phoenix stayed silent as Kaneki passionately told him,

"Arima has me in a severely injured state. For all I know, I could be dying right now! If I don't get back to fighting him, we will kill the family I built! The one that welcomed me, kept me safe and supported. Even when I felt like I didn't deserve it because of what I am! I am a mutant, every reason why they had to stay in the shadows for their safety."

The Phoenix remained silent.

"It pained me when I had to leave them, but I don't regret being part of the X-Men. I learned so much about what I can do, what I should and shouldn't do, and what I must do for more than the people I love."

Logan stood impressed at how much his son has become accepted by not just his Kaneki's newfound family, but the one that took him in.

"I promised someone that I would come back alive. To mark my beginning as someone who would keep their word. How can I be such a person if I die at the hands of a dove?! I ask you. Tell me how to control my power."

After hearing his plea, the Phoenix descended upon to Kaneki and replied as he raised his right hand,

"Just remember...Jojo wasn't the only manga you read as a child."

The Phoenix touched Kaneki's forehead with just one index finger as everything around the two of them disappeared into a blinding white light.

xxxxxx

Arima wiped off the blood of the Kuzuri from Owl. He looks to see the full extent of his brutality. Half of Kuzuri's insides were practically exposed due to the gaping wounds. Arima took slight pride at how he was able to slice the Kuzuri in half as the upper body and lower body laid on the ground, cleanly separated.

"Not bad, if I do say so myself..."

He then takes out his smartphone to make a call.

"Give me the location of the intruders-"

Just then, Arima felt a gust of wind blowing toward him from behind.

xxxxxx

(earlier)

Everyone finally made it to the disposal press. Touka tells Laura,

"Laura, let's take a break."

Laura looks behind her to see many of the ghouls looking tired from having to run for so long.

"Sure. I'll use the time to check Delta on something."

As everyone took a break, Laura took out her smartphone to talk.

"Delta?"

"Here."

"How's it going with hacking Cochlea's security system?"

"Unfortunately, I am locked out."

"Seriously?"

Concerned, Touka, Hide, and Hisako went to Laura's side as they heard Laura's reaction. With Yomo and Hinami following.

"I was successful for a while, ceasing all disposal press operations for the duration of our time here. Unfortunately, the GCB has received word of our presence here and has dispatched additional officers from the Bureau's cybersecurity division to purge me from Cochlea's computer systems."

"Oh shit..."

Said Hide, with Delta adding,

"In summation."

Touka then asked,

"Are they sending any more doves down here?"

"We already have."

Everyone looked at the direction of where the voice came from. It was revealed to be Furuta, alongside at least black-suited men in matching black fedora hats. Hide remarked,

"Those guys are from Vasuki."

"Vasuki?"

"The ghoul wing of HYDRA."

Some of the ghouls gasped when Hide mentioned HYDRA. Furuta then spoke in a playful tone,

"Well darn. Guess you found out our terrible, terrible secret. Fortunately..."

Furuta held in his hand a smartphone, to which he pressed on it, resulting in the disposal press activating.

"It's one of those "I'll tell you, but then I'll have to kill you" type of secrets."

Two of the black hats held rifle containing Q-Bullets. They fired at the intruders, resulting in some of Banjo's group to not just get shot, but fall while doing so. Their bodies then got smashed between the industrial sized metal pressers. Many reacted in terror as they saw this. While Furuta made a haughty laugh before saying,

"Don't act too disgusted. But then again...it's enough to make you barf-"

(play SSJ Transformation Remake (Mike Smith) - Gladius)

Just then, everything around them started to shake. Both the intruders and Furuta's group almost tripped when the shaking started to happen. This irritated Furuta as he exclaimed,

"What the fuck is happening right now?! I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF BRAGGING!"

The disposal press started to malfunction as the shaking started to get some of the pressers out of alignment, causing some of them to scrape off the edges and almost becoming dislodged in the process. Yomo yelled,

"BACK UP NOW!"

As everyone did what Yomo ordered, Laura asked,

"Delta, is there an earthquake happening?"

"Negative. The source of this disturbance is emanating from this part of Cochlea."

Delta brought up a blueprint of the prison, although the location looked as if it was excluded from the blueprints on purpose.

"I have also detected an energy surge."

"Energy surge?"

Asked Hinami.

"The energy signature bears some resemblance to Hisako's psionic armor."

"For real?"

Asked Hisako, to which Hide added,

"Who's responsible?"

"...I cannot say for certain."

xxxxxx

In Eto's cell, as her cell began to shake around her, she started to lick her fingers as she muttered to herself,

"Well...guess that's my cue..."

xxxxxx

He turns around to see the upper half of the Kuzuri floating by itself, surrounded by some sort of energy aura.

"Impossible..."

Kuzuri's face, which looked lifeless before, now expressed anger as he grit his teeth as the energy aura around him grew. The aura grew in diameter, covering the area where Kuzuri's disconnected other half currently laid. What happened next threw Arima for another loop as the aura emanating from the Kuzuri began disintegrate his dismembered lower half. Then the lower half of his body began to grow back, while the fabric of his outfit began to reform by itself to cover his private parts.

"At least he shows modesty..."

Then, as Kuzuri now reformed his body, his muscles began to bulge as his anger rose to new heights. Arima sees that the Kuzuri currently underwent a transformation.

"Another mutation?"

Then the entire area began to shake as Kuzuri created a small crater beneath him as the aura around him slowly grew. This growth also possessed immediate side effects as Arima felt the ground shake beneath him while consistent gusts of wind blew away the white flowers around them. As he maintained his balance, he received a call.

"Investigator Arima! We have a major situation! An earthquake is happening at Cochlea right now!"

"I know. I'm witnessing the source of it right now."

"That's not all! A major lightning storm is also occurring above us!"

Arima eventually felt his smartphone breaking itself apart as a small shock hit his left face cheek. After he dropped it, he then sees Kuzuri standing with almost blinding anger. Kuzuri then flips between keeping his head high and low as some sort of reaction to the aura surrounding his person. Arima can only guess what was happening to him.

"Is he creating some sort of...psionic aura? Is he capable of such a mutation?"

However, what will make him remember this moment, even in the last moments of his life, was an event he only remembered reading in manga.

(skip to 1:23)

He witnessed the Kuzuri screaming as his hair switched from black to white in an instant as the aura now resembled a smoldering fire around his entire body. Arima also sees Kuzuri's sole kakugan active by itself. Arima muttered to himself,

"Super...Saiyan?"

Witnessing a mutation like what he saw almost made Arima drop his weapon as he stared in awe of what he just saw.

(end music)

Although in the wake of awakening tremendous power, Kuzuri stayed cognizant enough to feel what just happened to him. Kaneki remembered reading Dragon Ball sometime after moving to Tokyo. The moment when he reached the part of Goku becoming a Super Saiyan to defeat Frieza stayed with him for a time. For him to embrace a mutation that allowed him to become the closest thing made his inner child jump with joy as he muttered to himself,

"This is the second time I achieved my manga-based fantasies..."

Then Kuzuri turned his attention to Arima as he asks him,

"Round two?"

SNIKT!

Kuzuri charged toward Arima, only this time this action was done with speed that not even the Kuzuri did not understand at first. Although he overshot, the shockwave of the charge almost made Arima to trip and fall down.

"Such speed...but he doesn't know how to control it yet."

Kuzuri halted just before a steel wall, in an effort to stop himself from slamming into it by accident.

"Damn. Overshot it. But if I act too slow, Arima could try to kill me just like before. I can't assume that the slowest I can go is faster than what Arima is capable of."

Kuzuri turns around to face Arima as he asks Kuzuri,

"Are you capable of flying, Kuzuri?"

"Even if I was, this place is too cramped to try."

Arima swung his weapon a little before assuming a fighting pose.

"Fair enough."

Kuzuri assumed one of his own. Both slowly walked toward each other while also walking sideways. Both were aware of what each were capable of, and yet neither of them dared not ignore the elephant in the room as Arima thought to himself,

"If he doesn't realize yet the full extent of his recently-emerged mutation, perhaps his overconfidence could the key..."

Kuzuri thought to himself,

"I need to get a handle of my new powers...or else Arima will get the drop on me like before. Failure is not an option. Something he taught me all too well..."

Both charged each other. Kuzuri proved himself faster than Arima, to which Arima switched Owl to its rapier form and thrusted it forward to land a hit on Kuzuri. Arima then experienced another setback as Kuzuri instantly sped aside to dodge Arima's incoming attack. From Kuzuri's point of view, everything slowed around him. Making him believe that he had slowed time down by willpower.

"Woah. I have The World in the palm of my hands."

Kuzuri retracted his claws as he sped towards Arima once against to land a punch on his face. Arima quickly ducked to avoid the punch while delivering a slash to Kuzuri's stomach. The injury was not deep, but it caused some bleeding to happen. However, when Kuzuri faced him again, the wound managed to heal itself. Arima then thought to himself,

"I will need to force Owl deeper into him next opportunity I have."

Kuzuri breathed a little heavily after receiving said slash.

"My new mutation may have given me so much, but some things remain the same."

Arima went for another attack, but this time Kuzuri went on the defensive as he dodged each strike Arima attempted to land on him. Kuzuri became familiar with the level of speeds his body became capable of the more he dodged Arima's attacks. Arima notices this as well as he leapt backwards.

"He's becoming familiar. This has to end."

Arima then changed the form of Owl into its previous massive state. Kuzuri worked out why Arima did such a thing.

"Arima has acknowledged that I've become faster than him. Based on what his quinque is capable of, speed and power are the only options it offers. He can't catch up to me...so now he'll try to overpower me."

SNIKT!

Kuzuri brought his claws, to which he notices that they were covered by the aura that currently surrounded him as well.

"That's weird. But then again, mutations are never what you expect them to be."

Once again, Kuzuri charged towards Arima with his claws out. Believing his opponent repeating himself for nothing, Arima raised Owl upwards for a powerful single slash. He tells Kuzuri,

"You should be familiar with the word insanity by now."

Both Arima's Owl and Kuzuri's claws clashed once again. What changed this time was that Kuzuri's claws were unaffected by the anti-metal coating Owl was covered in. Arima almost expressed shock and dissatisfaction at that moment. Kuzuri tells his opponent.

"Insanity: the state of being severely mentally ill. Example: doing the same thing over again..."

With full force, Kuzuri sliced apart Owl into pieces. Arima looked on with complete surprise as the pieces fell to the ground.

"And expecting different results."

Kuzuri stood with a small smile on his face as he looked at Arima with relief. Confused by this, Arima asked,

"Why the smile?"

"I won't lie. Beating you in serious combat was really satisfying. But...as much as I really want to protect my loved ones..."

Kuzuri retracted his claws.

"Despite that...I don't want to kill you. But you can't defeat me."

Arima looked at Kuzuri with a resolve that got across how much respect his former protégé still had for him. Arima then tells him,

"18 years..."

Kuzuri listened to what Arima wanted to say to him.

"I have been an Investigator for 18 years. In all that time, I've never lost. I've killed so many ghouls...every once in a while, I find some that make me push my limits...but in the end, all I have to my name are corpses. I've broken many ghoul families, left so many ghoul children as orphans in a world that hates them…in the name of my duties. And now it's all come to this...are you sure about your choice...Kaneki?"

"Yes."

Kaneki now stood surprised as Arima smiled at him before saying,

"...just as I expected."

Arima raised his damaged quinque, but instead of fighting Kaneki again, he sliced his neck. Floored by this, Kaneki ran towards Arima to catch him before he fell to the ground. Kuzuri attempted to use his aura to heal him, but it slowly became apparent that his new mutation di not possess the ability to project his healing factor unto others.

"Why?! It didn't have to end like this!"

Arima replied, despite the wound he gave his neck.

"I've was...waiting..."

Kaneki sat baffled by how Arima could still speak, to which he answered,

"Made it...a point...to avoid my...vocal cords...Please listen..."

(play Musique pour la tristesse de Xion – Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days OST)

Kaneki remained silent when Arima talked to him, save for a few instances when Arima invited him to respond.

"I knew...my time...was limited. I...Hairu, Furuta...and every Investigator from Hakubi garden...or as we call it "The Sunlit Garden." We are...not human. We are also not mutants...like you. We are...failed experiments. Unrealized hybrids."

Arima pointed to his right eye, although with slight struggle.

"This eye. You know why...it is my weakness?"

"...why?"

"It is glaucoma. A common ailment...for the elderly..."

Kaneki felt further surprised when Arima confessed to possessing a medical condition that only affects seniors.

"Those from the garden...age faster than everybody else...I'm already losing my sight...my time is...almost done..."

Kaneki began to feel the severity and weight of this moment. Only in his memories did he knew what it felt like to see your father die before you. Now he experiences it for himself.

"Kaneki...do you know what happens...when a human and a ghoul...have a child?"

Kaneki remembered the last time such a question presented itself to him.

"Some of them die."

"Yes...not all...but people like the...One-Eyed Owl are rare...when the child lives, they are no different from other humans at first. They can even eat human food...much like the ghouls who ate your flesh do."

Once again, Kaneki sat astounded that Arima knew that aspect of his mutation.

"How did you-?"

"It's the reason why Vasuki wanted you. As well as the Washuu clan. Both for themselves...and their children. As the children grow older, their strength and physical abilities are heightened...but the price...is a shorter life."

"So...why do something like this?"

"The same reason why the humans despise someone like you. Even before Charles Xavier exposed the existence of ghouls...the Washuu clan hated mutants with a passion...As a matter of fact, they had a hand...in the creation...of the Weapon Plus program."

"Weapon...Plus?"

"A handful of governments began to discover the existence of mutants within the early half of the 20th century. The Washuu clan were known to a few powerful individuals across the globe...for their innovation in anti-ghoul weaponry. They wanted such weapons to be used against mutants. They were...even privy to the creation...of Captain America."

Kaneki almost gasped when Arima mentioned that name.

"They knew about Project Rebirth?"

"So much so...they used their resources and knowledge of ghouls...to create...someone like me...but now...it's about to be..."

Arima looked as if his life will be gone at any moment.

"Despite the fact that the Washuu clan were ghouls...they had a lot in common with the humans that they knew would fear them."

Kaneki then remembered what Yukio told him about the Washuu clan being ghouls, and how they had a hand creating Vasuki, only for them to become separate from them during World War II.

"I know that the Washuu clan are ghouls. Yukio told me everything."

"I see..."

After taking a few more breaths, Arima asked Kaneki,

"Will you...grant me this last wish?"

"What do you want?"

"I want...rather...I need you to be the one...who killed me"

Kaneki sat further floored when Arima asked him that.

"Why?"

"Because of what is to come...Vasuki will press their advantage...due to one of their own...possessing rather venomous ambition..."

"Who?"

"Hirako...will explain...please..."

Arima coughed a little before speaking his last words.

"It...has to...be you..."

Arima tried to speak more, but Kaneki knew that the life of his former mentor slowly became depleted of life. He simply answered,

"Okay..."

Arima desperately wanted to say the words "thank you" but lacked any strength to talk back. In his last moments, Arima rose his left arm, to which Kaneki gently grabbed it. Tears flowed through Arima's eyes as he watched his life flash before his eyes. Before he took his last breath, in his mind, Arima looked as he did when he went undercover in a high school. He sees the friends he made during the assignment signaling him to follow him. Before he ran towards them, Arima sees a butterfly floating near him.

"I lived my life taking others...to see him regain all that he lost...and taking on that which I know will be...too much for anyone to take on. Anyone...but the Kuzuri. I place...my hopes...in him..."

Arima finally took his last breath, content that Kaneki will carry on his last wish. As Kaneki carried the body of Kisho Arima, he began to cry for him.

"I feel him...crying for Arima. As both Kuzuri...and Ken Kaneki, I tried to honor him as best I could with a battle worthy of the man both humans and ghouls call The Reaper. But...as Haise...the loss of someone he can call the closest thing...to a father...is honestly unbearable..."

Kaneki kept crying for Arima as to not deny Haise of his catharsis. Although he did not deny the amount of ghoul blood Arima had on his hands, Kaneki was still willing to see him for what Arima truly was. A man trapped by his fate, yet possessed a desire for any measure of freedom. For Haise, losing Arima became too much of an unbearable thought to further entertain, only for it to become reality. For Kaneki...he finally understood the depths of Laura's sorrow of witnessing their father dying before her. For one moment, he saw his father in place of Arima...and lets out the tears he kept inside him for so long.

(end music)

xxxxxx

When the earthquake finally died, Furuta and the black hats took their time to regain their bearing as he took a look at the giant pressers. He had a sour look on his face as he sees the pressers either out of alignment, or damaged while dislodged. He whispered to himself,

"Damn. There goes my fun."

He then picks up one of the rifles that one of the black hats dropped and aimed at one of the intruders.

"Well, despite how much...MY FUN was ruined, there's still a job to-"

Just now, something massive crashed through the wall near Furuta and the black hats.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS IT-?"

They witness the One-Eyed Owl standing before them with the intent to kill them.

"Well, shit."

Eto rampaged to kill the black hats, while everyone else looked on until Yomo gave the order.

"Let's go!"

Banjo asked,

"But why would Eto do this?"

"You're free to stay here to ask. For me..."

Hide ran towards the edge and jumped as he screamed,

"GEROMINO!"

Laura yelled next as she jumped,

"ARAPAHO!"

Hisako then yelled as she jumped,

"NAVAHO!"

Touka sighed in exasperation before jumping while declaring,

"Pocahontas."

Everyone else simply jumped downwards as Eto continued her rampage against Furuta and the black hats. The last ones to jump were the ghouls carrying Yoshimura as he looked on with regret and worry for his estranged daughter. Eto continued to kill Furuta and the black hats, although Furuta proved himself to be an elusive target much to her befuddlement. For Furuta, he simply treated the while thing as if it were a game. He cared little for the lives of the black hats under his command as they were killed by Eto. As he dodged Eto's attacks with almost little effort, he went into a comical manic episode as he talked to Eto.

"Oh, come on now! Let's talk things out! How about some tea?! Or COFFEE! I FORGOT YOU LIKE COFFEE MORE!"

Furuta dodged some more of Eto's swings.

"HOW ABOUT AN APOLOGY?!"

"UNNECESSARY!"

"I THOUGHT SO!"

Furuta kept running away as Eto chased after him.

"FIGHT ME, YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

"NO THANK YOU!"

Furuta ran like a madman away from Eto, to which she criticized,

"YOU RUN LIKE A WUSS!"

Eventually, Furuta tripped to the floor. As he looked up to discover that he ran to a corner, he hears Eto's guttural growling as she slowly approached Furuta from behind. He looks behind him as he crawls backwards to try to get away from Eto. She tells him,

"I love the sight of prey knowing they can't escape."

"You're no ghoul! YOU'RE A FUCKING MONSTER!"

Furuta laughed a little as he knew that he was alone.

"I WANT TO SEE FLOWERS...Furuta."

Furuta replied,

"Then buy an orchid!"

Eto lunged towards her prey, while Furuta closed his eyes as he yelled,

"I HATE FIGHTING! SO!"

What happened next threw Eto for a loop. Kagune tentacles popped out, seemingly out of nowhere. And they possessed so much strength that it tore apart Eto's kakuja. Eto got a glimpse of Furuta to see that he possessed one kakugan. Furuta laughed like a madman as he tells her,

"I know how we can resolve this."

Eto was given another surprise as Furuta brought out his claws as well.

"A...mutation?"

With the combination of his kagune and claws, Furuta made short work of the One-Eyed Owl. Much to Eto's surprise. Furuta not only defeated her, but did so with manic and sadistic glee. Eto recalled the many times when she not only defeated many experienced doves in her prime, even many ghouls and a fair share of superpowered bounty hunters. But in all that time, Eto only suffered three defeats. Her first from Investigator Iwao when she first started out, her second from Hisako Ichiki during the Yashida Tower Incident, and now from this lackey of Vasuki. What made this defeat particularly harsh was how Furuta tore her kakuja apart, as if her armor-like exterior became no different from butter and he carried a variety of hot knifes on him to use against Eto. When the fighting stopped, Furuta stood with an expression of satisfaction as he caught up to his breath.

"Well...that felt pretty damn good. And right now...Kuzuri just killed the Reaper. And I'm willing to bet that he took him down..."

He then looked at where Eto currently laid, her back against a crater on a wall she crashed on earlier.

"They way you were taken down. Either way, suppression complete~"

Furuta clapped as he laughed, adding salt to Eto's wounds.

"A part of me does hate what Weapon X force me to be..."

SCHLIKT!

"But damn me if these things didn't help me survive you. Well these and Kanou's procedure."

Furuta performed some stretches as he continued his conversation with Eto.

"By the way, thank you for taking care of the grunts that were with me. They knew about how I was a failed Wolverine clone, but not my new...mutation, so to speak."

Although in a weakened state, Eto managed to utter,

"Your kagune...is it from Rize?"

Furuta then performed a playful pose as he kagune sprung out from his back while exclaiming,

"ZINGA! And let me tell you something, Kaneki seriously missed out on something not just powerful but also very versatile."

Furuta hugged one of the kagune tentacles and even gave it a small kiss. Eto tells him,

"It's so fucking gross how you're treating it..."

Furuta gave an exaggerated gasp while caressing the tentacle as he tells it,

"Don't listen to that sore loser. She's just bitchy about that fact that we kicked her ass like it was nothing."

As the kagune withdrew back into Furuta, he then tells her,

"Well, I'm just gonna leave you here to die, which won't be long. I'm gonna have my hands full coving up just enough for the Bureau to hunt down Kaneki and his "family.""

As Furuta began to walk away, he asked Eto,

"By the way, you never told me about the One-Eyed King, did you? Oh well, since I defeated you, there's really no point in worrying about it."

Eto used the last of her strength to ask,

"Nimura...Furuta...since you really don't really...give a damn about what...either the Washuus or Vasuki...what is it that you really want?"

Furuta located one black coat and places it on him before giving a pace sign to Eto and declaring,

"Super peace."

As he skipped away, Eto's last words were,

"The fuck is wrong with that prick?"

Eto finally drew her last breath.

(play Always on my Mind – Kingdom Hearts)

As her life flashed before her eyes in her final moments, she recalled the time when she first stood in front of Anteiku and saw her father smiling. Within her personal mindscape, Eto saw all this through the lens of a picture book. As she flipped the pages of her memories, she remembered how bitter she felt seeing him like that. However, the memory played differently in her mind. Instead of throwing the book she wanted to shown him to the ground, Eto instead walks inside the café, with only her father present. Yoshimura sees her and his mouth gapped open at the sight of her daughter standing in front of him. Eto still had an angry look on her face, but now the lower lip of her mouth began to quiver before hitting her father with the book she wanted to present to her. Her father did nothing but take the hits as he knew that he deserved every hit his daughter gave. Eventually, Eto's anger gave way to sorrow and longing as she acted out what she wanted from him the most.

(skip to 0:56)

She hugged her father, to which he returned by hugging his daughter back. Both cried in each other's embrace as the years spent apart made the moment all more impactful. As the picture book came to close, Eto's last thoughts were,

"Huh...didn't know that was an option..."

All she can do...was die with the regret...that she never bothered...to make things right...with her father.

(end music)

xxxxxx

Everyone that jumped down were close to escaping Cochlea as Hide declared to everyone,

"We're almost out of here. Just keep running this way."

Banjo noticed that his group were getting tired from having to run further and asked,

"At what point do we stop?"

Laura answered,

"At the end of this path, we're gonna meet with another group. One a lot of you are familiar with."

At that moment, Touka tells everyone,

"Stop!"

When they did, Hisako asked,

"Touka, what's the matter?"

"We got more incoming..."

Touka proved herself correct as two teams of doves slowly approached the group. Leading these teams were Aura and Tanakamaru. Aura sees two familiar faces with the group, as well as Tanakamaru.

"Investigator Ichiki..."

"And the one they call Deadpool."

Deadpool looks around to see several side large openings to the side of the drainage pipe they all stood in. Hisako then tells the group,

"Take the sides. We'll hold them off."

"We can't. The doves most likely have them filled with traps."

Said Laura, to which Aura added,

"Either way, this is where all of you die."

Tanakamaru started the fight by firing a charged shot with his kagune, Higher Mind, as he yelled,

"HIGHER...MIND!"

Hinami stepped forward in front of Hisako and Deadpool as she tells them,

"Stand back."

Hinami used her kagune to block said attack from Tanakamaru.

"She managed to block higher mind...such a sinister kagune."

The force of the attack proved itself to be too powerful as Hinami started to collapse. Hikari caught her in time.

"It's alright, dear. I got you."

In a groggy state, Hinami looked at Hikari and says,

"Thank you...mom..."

Both Touka and Hikari heard what Hinami just said before she collapsed. For Hikari, it reminded her of how Touka used to be with her when she was younger. For Touka, it reminded her of who Hinami lost. Tanakamaru exclaimed,

"Such a powerful Ukaku! Sadly, it's only a glass cannon. Whereas MINE...!"

(play Hell's Bells – AC/DC, start at 0:50)

Tanakamaru brandished his weapon before priming Higher Mind for another shot.

"is made of quinque steel, and will never stop delivering death to you lot."

Aura readied her quinque for battle as well.

"Don't leave me out, Investigator Tanakamaru."

Laura then tell everyone,

"Deadpool, Armor, with me. Ayato, Touka, Yomo, get everyone back. Take down anyone who gets pass us."

While Touka and Yomo gladly complied, Ayato acted on his own and charged towards Tanakamaru. Laura yelled,

"AYATO!"

"Forget it, Wolverine. He's got rage written all over him. Watch his back. Me and Armor take out Aura."

Laura only sighed in frustration before agreeing,

"Fine. Armor."

"On it."

Armor first discarded her Investigator outfit, revealing that she had her X-Men uniform on underneath it. She then not just activated her powers, but used the speed mode she used against the One-Eyed Owl. Deadpool then tells her,

"Get up close to her, I'll take out her team if they get in the way."

"Roger that."

Ayato leapt upwards as his kagune materialized mid-air. Tanakamaru switched Higher Mind's mode for close-range combat, which was done in the nick of time as Ayato partially formed his kagune to create a bladed weapon on his right arm to attack the dove with. Tanakamaru blocked said attack with his quinque and pushed his opponent away from him while shouting,

"YOUTH!"

Ayato landed far from his enemy as Tanakamaru commented,

"I admire your spirit, but my weapon has both short-range and long-range capabilities. In short-range, I call it Angel Beat."

Ayato muttered to himself,

"Dual-use, huh? That's gonna be a bitch to go through."

At that moment, Laura ran past Ayato and fought against the Investigator for a while.

"Ahh, the Wolverine. Let's see if you're as tough as your brother."

Wolverine headbutted Tanakamaru as she replied,

"Wrong choice of words, meathead."

Both traded blows, with Tanakamaru blocking Wolverine's claw swipes while she managed to dodge Angel Beat's blows. Ayato took the opportunity to aid Wolverine as he joined the fight. Wolverine then exclaimed to him,

"Next time, wait until you get the all-clear!"

"Like I need permission from you!"

"What you need is good kick in the ass-!"

Tanakamaru performed a mighty horizontal swing to get some distance between him and the two. Wolverine continued with,

"And I'm tempted to let that guy give it to you."

Ayato gave a short "tch" before replying,

"Fine. How do you go about this?"

As they discussed strategy, one of the Investigators from Tanakamaru squad asked,

"Investigator Tanakamaru, do you need assistance?"

"I'll be fine. However, when you get the chance, get to the ghouls down the path where they retreated. In the meantime, I and Aura will create an opening."

Tanakamaru sees Investigator Aura with her hands full with two of the turncoat members of the X-Force. Armor attempted to land a punch on Aura, but even with the speed capabilities of her blue armor, Investigator Aura proved herself to be more agile than herself. Armor stood impressed at not only how Aura managed to dodge her attacks, but also how she wielded her quinque both attack her and block Deadpool's attacks as well. Deadpool slid to Armor's side as she asked him,

"What happened to your guns?"

"I used up all my ammo on Arima."

"Damn it. Well, thankfully..."

Armor's right arm turned into a psionic-based cannon. Deadpool asked,

"Could you always do that?"

"I learned how to control the shape of my psionic energy that makes up my armor at the mansion. I used it against the One-Eyed Owl back at Yashida Tower."

"I remember reading that report."

Remarked Aura to the duo.

"Ui wrote something in that report that made me believe that his squad was truly made of the most extraordinary of Investigators. Made me believe that he was on his back to being what he was before. "Investigator Ichiki remained on my team not just out of loyalty, but also friendship. How she communicates with her teammates indicates not just professionalism, but a personality that encourages trust between squad members. If Investigator Ichiki were to be a recommended her own squad leader assignment, I personally will endorse such a position be given to her as she exemplifies the values and convictions of the Bureau.""

Hisako looked down as she stood reminded of her actions. Specifically, what the consequences will bring when she decided to defect from the Bureau.

"This will-"

"Don't!"

Exclaimed Armor. Deadpool looked at her with compassion for her position.

"I know what I'm leaving behind...I know that...he's not gonna get better after this..."

"Then why-?!"

"BECAUSE...there's so much more going on...and I fear...you'll be dead before you know...everything...believe me, this pains me...as much as it pains Piotr."

Aura's anger flared for a moment as she fired Zebitsu at Armor. Rather than a large steel arrow launching out of the barrel of a metal crossbow, the arrow instead became self-elongated and stretched towards Armor and Deadpool.

"Move it!"

Exclaimed Deadpool as he and Armor attempted to outrun the arrows. Armor managed to do so, having one of the arrows impact one of the stone pillars of the drainage pipe. Deadpool, unfortunately, felt one of the arrows both impact and penetrate his mid-chest and right leg. He yelled in pain as he fell.

"Deadpool!"

"Take her down! Now!"

Armor sped towards Aura and fired her arm cannon at the Investigator as she ran towards her. As Armor got closer, many of her squad stood between her and their leader. What surprised both Armor and Aura was when Deadpool leapt over her and started to fight Aura's squad.

"I heal fast. Or did you forget?"

"Got it."

Armor leapt over Deadpool and Aura's team and landed near where the Investigator stood. Armor then switched from an arm cannon to a giant arm, with the intention to knock Aura off from where she currently stood. And yet, she stood floored by the offensive capabilities of Aura's Zebitsu as Aura splits it into two and forcefully dispelled Armor's psionic arm.

"H-How-?"

"I had some upgrades integrated into Zebitsu."

Meanwhile, both Ayato and Wolverine had trouble landing a single hit on Tanakamaru. The way his quinque can switch between its long-distance mode and short distance mode so quickly frustrated the two to no end as Ayato complained,

"Damn it! No matter what we do, we can't land a hit on this hulking asshole!"

"Well, whining like a child ain't gonna get us anywhere, that's for sure!"

"Watch who you're calling a child, you claw c-!"

Wolverine got so close to Ayato and placed one of her claws on his neck.

"After this...I'm telling your mom you were gonna call me the C word."

Ayato instantly got nervous when Wolverine told him she will rat on him to his mother.

"Please don't."

Wolverine backed off as she told Ayato,

"Then stop bitching. It's giving me earache."

Tanakamaru laughed at how the two acted in front of him.

"It's almost like I'm watching a comedy routine!"

He eventually stopped as he primed his quinque.

"But...all good things must come..."

Tanakamaru switched to Higher Mind and prepped another charged attack. Wolverine exclaimed,

"Move!"

Wolverine sped sideways to avoid getting hit, but later discovered that the Investigator aimed his weapon at Ayato, who was in mid-air.

"Shit, Ayato!"

Wolverine knew that Ayato jumped too high for her reach, much to the worry and fear of the Kirishimas as they witnessed their son in a position to be killed. Both Arata and Hikari wanted to act, but the effects of eating the flesh of Wolverine's children began to kick in. They slowly kneed to the ground, much to Yomo's and Touka's worry.

"Dad!"

"Hikari!"

Yomo went to his older sister while Touka went to her father. Both discovered that they possessed high fevers.

"Just like me when I ate Kaneki's flesh..."

Arata they says in a weak voice,

"Ayato..."

"Can't lose him...not now..."

Hikari tried to get back up but her high fever got in the way of taking action to protect her son. Yomo did not do much to stop her, but did so as he tells her,

"Hikari, don't."

"Don't stop me, Renji. I have to go to Ayato!"

"Not like this!"

"Renji, please! I don't want to lose him! PLEASE!"

In the back of the group. Yoshimura felt a measure of guilt of not having the energy to act. Just then, a large gust of wind blew over everyone. It felt as if someone flew over them, which later on such an idea was proven correct as it was revealed to be Ken Kaneki, or rather, the Kuzuri. He delivered a kick to Higher Mind to make the charged fire at Investigator Aura instead of Ayato. Tanakamaru yelled,

"AURA!"

However, such a warning was given too late as the charged shot vaporized her legs. Everyone with sight of the act were aghast of what just took place. Aura yelled out in pain as she fell to the ground. Her squad went to her side while also wanting to take out Armor. At that moment, Kuzuri delivered a series of punches to their respective guts. Some of them feel to the ground unconscious, but a few only kneeled long enough to see who it was that took out most of their squadmates. Armor, Ayato, Deadpool and Wolverine all stood astounded as to who arrived to save them from a devastating defeat.

"Ken?"

Asked Wolverine, to which Deadpool added,

"Whoa...my best friend is a Super Saiyan."

The Investigators from Tanakamaru squad readied their weapons against the Kuzuri, but what happened to Aura squad also happened to them. Tanakamaru now stood angry as he aimed his weapon at the Kuzuri as he yelled,

"TRAITOROUS SCUM!"

Before he can charge his weapon, he received a punch to his stomach. Tanakamaru sees it to be the Kuzuri himself as he asked,

"How?"

"I'm the best at what I do...and it ain't nice."

Tanakamaru fell to the ground, unconscious. Kuzuri then faces his comrades and spots his sister.

"Ken?"

"Hey sis. I'm back."

Wolverine slowly approached her little brother until she now stood face to face with him.

"Holy shit..."

"I know. We have a lot to talk about..."

Kaneki now began to feel weak himself as he almost fell over. Instead of Laura, Touka was the one who caught him from falling. The last thing Kaneki uttered was,

"Touka..."

Touka did everything she can to hold back the tears she desperately wanted to cry as the group walked out of the pipe path to avoid getting caught up in the fight before. One of them asked,

"Is it over?"

Ayato answered,

"Looks like. We should get moving. Just avoid the Doves on the way..."

Just then, Ayato sees at least six more Doves running down the same path they all took earlier.

"Get moving! We got more incoming!"

Just then, another voice spoke up. One very familiar to Hisako.

"Don't do anything to them!"

"Emma?"

Emma emerged from the darkness of the other drainage pipe that led to the outside. Hisako stood glad to see her old teacher again.

"Emma!"

"It's good to see you again, Hisako."

The Investigators Emma told everyone not to hurt arrived. one of them revealed himself to be Arima's right-hand man, as Hisako remarked,

"Investigator Hirako?"

"Investigator Ichiki."

"Sorry. I submitted my resignation earlier tonight."

"What a coincidence."

Hirako brought out a piece of paper from the inside of his coat.

"So did I."

Hirako places his resignation inside of Tanakamaru's coat before explaining why he and the Investigators were with him.

"We are squad zero. Arima's squad."

Yomo stood surprised the most when they confessed to such a fact.

"His last will is that we follow the man who killed him in battle."

Now all were further floored by the fact that Kaneki was the one who killed Kisho Arima, one many ghouls called the Reaper. Yomo felt a tremendous measure of vindication when he heard Kaneki was the one who killed him. He now felt a great deal of gratitude for Kaneki as not only did he kill the man who broke his family apart, but also brought it back together. Although he felt that there will be heated arguments in the near future, the fact that they were all alive made the hope he carried with him, against the odds and the heartbreak, all the more potent. Now even he felt the need to hold back his tears for what returned to his life. Emma could sense what everyone felt at the moment, and such emotions were all rooted in the return of the Kuzuri.

"All of you, listen up. At that end of this path is the Blackbird. We'll be heading to Nagasaki for a while."

"Nagasaki?"

Asked Ayato. Touka added,

"But that's..."

"Yes...Ken's hometown."

Thank you all for reading this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait for all of you. Many of you wanted certain characters to live, but decisions have been made. For now. I will see you all for the next chapter at a later date. Until then, have a happy new year. Let's do our best to not just survive, but thrive despite the possible bad times ahead. While also cherishing the good times that may come to us. See you all later.