Ayato, Hinami, Mutsuki, and Urie all wind up trapped in a building in the 24th ward together. Their respective loved ones are desperate to find them.

“Why am I here!” screams Mutsuki, pounding at the collapsed rubble. He wanted to find Sensei, not be trapped with these demons and an overzealous Urie. “With ghouls!”

“You’re the one who called my sister a slut! Prepare to die.” Ayato releases his ukaku.

“Touch him and I’ll rip out your entrails,” snarls Urie.

“Can you all calm down?” Yotsume steps between the two. “We’re here. We need to find a way out, and we can only do that by cooperating.”

“With you?” Urie is aghast. 

“Hinami is nice, asshat,” Ayato taunts.

“Unlike you?”

“Sure.” Ayato’s ukaku vanishes. “Okay, Hinami.”

“If Kaneki loves them, they must be good,” Hinami reminds him. She smiles at Urie. “I like your moles, and you – I like your eyepatch. It reminds me of Oniichan.” 

“Sensei?” Mutsuki touches his eyepatch. “Really?” 

“Yes.” Hinami appears utterly sincere, which confuses Urie. 

She seems so sweet. 

Then again, so did Haise.

————————————————

“It’s been three hours.” Saiko paces above ground. “That’s it. I’m going down into those tunnels.”

“Suppose ghouls eat us?” Higemaru says.

“Suppose they ate Mucchy and Urie! Suppose they’re captured and lonely!” Saiko waves her hand. “You’re all following me.”

“Yes.” Hsaio shoves Aura forward.

————————————————

“Three hours, and nothing?” Touka stops her pacing. “I’m gonna go there any haul Ayato’s ass back myself.”

Kaneki can tell that beneath her bravado, she’s worried. Suppose there were more than two intruders?

“Let’s go look.”

————————————————-

“Wait, so we all lost parents.” Ayato leans back. “To this dumb war.”

Mutsuki shivers.

He didn’t, Hinami thinks. But now may not be the time to mention it. 

“For a dumb war, you sure participated eagerly,” Urie says sourly.

“Do you even like killing us?” Ayato wonders.

Urie sighs.

“I don’t think so.” Hinami pauses. “Like we don’t like killing them.”

“Hinami, I had to do your killing for you,” Ayato says with a laugh.

Mutsuki’s eyes widen. So she, Yotsume, is weak like him. 

But she’s strong, too. She’s SS. 

Hinami smiles at him, and he returns the smile. 

Bam! The rocks they’ve given up on removing are shoveled away by a giant hand-shaped kagune.

“Saiko!” shouts Urie.

The opposite side of the tunnel collapses now. Kaneki and Touka stand there, bruised and exhausted. 

Saiko waves. “Looks like we beat your rescue, Maman.”