angsty Shuuneki during this current arc, please?

Ooh angst is fun. I love angst.

“So what you’re saying,” Kaneki says, “is that I’m aging. At a fearsome pace.”

Tsukiyama clamps a hand over his mouth to keep from screaming. Nishiki affirms, and all he can think is that no, his Ken is going to die.

When Kaneki exits the room, he bumps into Tsukiyama, who has tears in his eyes.

Kaneki swallows. Shuu knows, doesn’t he?

“You’re like a fine wine. Better aged,” Tsukiyama blurts out.

Kaneki’s cheeks turn pink. “Thank you, Tsukiyama.”

Tsukiyama bounds along beside him. “What can I do? Do you want to eat me? And all my Rc cells? Just tell me and I’ll do it.”

“Tsukiyama, calm down. Nishiki’s a scientist. Maybe everything will work out.” Kaneki sighs.

He doesn’t believe that. He hasn’t believed that since all those years ago, when he couldn’t eat a hamburger.

“Don’t give up. Not yet.” Tsukiyama shoves Kaneki backwards. “I’m counting on you. You don’t get to take the easy way out and die a martyr this time. Promise me.”

Kaneki glares at him.

“Please!”

“Fine. I promise I will try to survive.” Kaneki nods.

“Seal it with a kiss?”

Kaneki’s eyes widen. He’s with Touka now. He can’t.

“You know.” Touka’s voice booms behind them, “If it’s what will seal your survival, I don’t mind you giving him a kiss.”

Afraid Touka’s heard too much, Kaneki kisses Shuu as quickly as he can.

It hurts, but now Tsukiyama’s grateful for any and all contact with his friend. Kaneki can’t die. Not yet.

Hirako tries to parent Shio, Yusa, and Rikai. Preferably with angst and fluff. Please write this before one of them dies my heart can’t take what I fear is coming.

Okay, none of the kids are allowed to die.

“Rikai, why are you crying?” Hirako is tired and parenting is the last thing on his list of desired.

The good news, as Arima reminded him, is that all the Squad 0 kids had such piss-poor parenting anything he fails at will still look good by comparison.

But Hirako doesn’t want to look good by comparison. He wants to be good.

“B – because I’m having a bad memory,” sniffles Rikai.

“Well.” Hirako settles next to Rikai, his hand on her shoulder. “It’s in the past, but sometimes it helps to talk about it. You want to?”

“We’re getting older.” Rikai clutches his hand instead of answering the question. She can’t divulge her memories, not yet. “We’re gonna die before everyone else. And I don’t want to – I don’t want to die!”

She covers her face and sobs.

Shio is crying, too. “We’re supposed to be brave.”

“Bravery,” says Hirako softly, “means facing your fears. You know, I’m scared of dying, too.”

“You are?” Yusa gapes at him.

“Yes. And then I have to ask myself why.” Hirako shrugs. “And I’m afraid because I want my life to be worthwhile.”

“We like your life!” cries Shio.

“I know, and I’d say y life is worth it with you kids in it.”

Rikai coughs. “You mean – we’re not a burden?”

“Are you sure?” Yusa asks.

“Of course. I wouldn’t trade you all for the world.” Hirako grabs the kids and pulls them tight.

He doesn’t know how they’ll fix the aging issue, but they will. These kids deserve the world they’re fighting for.

Arima encounters smol lonely Furuta in the Garden.

Do you hear the drips? Smol lonely Furuta melts my heart.

“I heard what you did.” Arima watched Souta closely. The kid kicks his legs back and forth, as if he’s on a swing instead of a brick wall.

Souta looks at the ground. “She needed to be free.”

“I know.”

Now Souta looks up at him. Arima agreed? Arima didn’t consider him a reprobate? Everyone treated him like a pariah since. Being whipped for an hour straight after her escape had been more tolerable than their constant disapproval.

It’s bad enough when Dad treats him this way. He didn’t expect it from everyone else.

At least he’s stopped crying himself to sleep. If they think he’s a scoundrel, he’ll be a scoundrel beyond their wildest imaginations. And every pain will be worth it when she reunites with him, as he promised her.

“I love her,” Souta told him. His eyes glitter, dark and proud. Washuu eyes.

Arima gingerly reaches out and pats his head. He knows childhood love is simple and easily broken. But for now, if it helps his half-brother survive more rejection, he’s happy for him.

Karren escapes from Eto and makes her way back to the Tsukiyamas (which has not been raided by the CCG yet)

Oh goody, more angst for my wicked heart.

Karren stumbles out of Aogiri’s headquarters, her eyes still half-sewn shut, hr lips 100% sealed. Help me, she wants to whimper. I want to die.

She can’t go home to Master Shuu. He’s depressed enough.

But where else can she go? She only has one home, and it’s with Tsukiyama Shuu.

She half-walks, half-crawls to the mansion like a drunk, like the worthless servant she is, hoping to climb inside her room without anyone noticing she’s been gone.

She needs to kill Sasaki for hurting Shuu. No – to atone for her own selfishness. Because she’s very, very bad, and she needs to be Kanae, not Karren.

Kanae doesn’t even realize that she’s collapsed on the steps to the Tsukiyama mansion until she hears Matsumae scream.

Get up, move.

Chie Hori sees her and runs upstairs like the brat she is.

Don’t worry, let me alone, Kanae wants to say as Matsumae lifts her off the stairs, but her mouth is still sewn shut.

Mirumo hovers over her, and then Matsumae shoos him out because she knows Kanae’s secret. This is all going so wrong – why can’t she die already – and then Shuu’s being pulled into the room – how did she wind up in her room? – by Chie.

He lets out a wail and rushes forward, yanking out the thread to her mouth and cursing in French.

“Be gentle!” Matsumae says, working on Kanae’s eyes.

“I’m sorry; I’m so sorry,” Kanae says, bordering on delirium. “She knew – Master Shuu, it’s all my fault.”

“Your fault? No, mon cher, never.” Shuu’s shaking. How could someone do this to Kanae? He wouldn’t even treat dinner like this.

He’s going to find them, and kill them.

He tries to take off her jacket to check for wounds, and Kanae starts and immediately claps her hands over her … rosy chest.

Shuu turns dead white.

“K – Kanae?” he asks in a small voice, a voice that says why didn’t you trust me?

“Not Kanae.” Matsumae applies a warm cloth dipped in some sort of lotion to Kanae’s bruised forehead.

“What’s your real name, belle femme?” he asks.

She squeezes her eyes shut, though they still hurt from the thread. There’s no point in hiding what’s already been exposed. “Karren.”

Tears leak down her cheeks, but Shuu’s placing a blanket overher chest as he helps her out of her jacket, and he’s calling her sweet rose and liebling and he seems more alive than he has in months. And though Karren can’t quite believe it yet, Chie and Matsumae can see it’s because of her.

Scenario where Kurona and Juuzou have to talk about what happened without trying to kill each other (let me dream okay)

Just minor attempted murders okay?

“Just – please – please let me kill him!” Kurona lunged forward, but Kaneki held her back. She broke into sobs. “He killed our sister! She had Rize’s kagune too!”

Suzuya peeked out from behind Hanbee and Nakarai. Mikage and Tamaki stood behind him, ready to attack anyone else who got ideas.

“Please!”

“He’s my friend! He was raised to kill. I killed, too, when I had my memories wiped, remember?” Kaneki met Tsukiyama’s eyes.

“Damn threw me off a building.” The gourmet’s eyes soured at the memory of Karren. But he’d told her it would all be okay, and okay did not include vengeance on a brainwashed Kaneki.

“She was my best friend – she loved me no matter what,” Kurona sobbed. “R-r-remember when you lost your Shinohara? That’s what you did to me, and you laughed. You made it into a game.”

Suzuya’s eyes widened. His mouth formed a perfect red circle, and for a moment he felt like he was losing Shinohara again. And again, and again, over and over and over – the Owl kept stabbing him –

“No,” he mumbled. “No, no, no!”

“Hey.” Hanbee caught his arms.

“Mr. Shinohara knew what you did. He loved you regardless,” said Nakarai.

“But I don’t love – me …” Suzuya took a step towards Kurona. He was visibly sweating. And then he burst into tears. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

“You killed her,” Kurona whimpered.

“Do you … do you want to kill me?” Suzuya held out Jason as tears streamed down his face.

Kurona took a step forward, but she didn’t reach for the quinque. “No. I want her back.”

He looked at the sobbing enemy before her and felt an unexpected stab of pity. He looked like a child. A child she had called “Rei” without knowing what that meant.

“I don’t forgive you, Juuzou. But I think – I think together, we can be on the same team making the world better.” Kurona held out her hand, and Juuzou flung himself into her arms.

Scenario where Tokage tells Urie and the other Quinx (possibly including Shirazu?) about Mutsuki’s past misdeeds. Possibly in front of the rest of the CCG like the monster he is.

OH MY GOD THE ANGST I LOVE IT.

this takes place in an alternative universe where Shirazu never died, sometime after Rushima, but before the Clown Raid.

“You’re promoting this monster?” Tokage stretched out a hand to brush back Mutsuki’s hair. The quivering boy slapped him away, but that didn’t stop his laughter.

“What’s so funny, punk?” snapped Shirazu.

“Yes, and he’s Mucchy, not a monster.” Saiko crossed her arms.

Urie glanced at a sweating Mutsuki, and Suzuya Juuzou had gone unusually still.

“Unless you’re a cat, right?” Tokage winked at Suzuya, who paled.

“N-no,” stammered Mutsuki, desperate. “No, you’re wrong.”

“You killed the kitty?” Suzuya’s eyes were wide.

Because he would remember, wouldn’t he, Mutsuki thought in horror. He liked Suzuya. And he’d hurt him. Again.

“And his family, ain’t that right?” Tokage cracked his knuckles, and that was it for Aura.

“Fuck off.” He leapt to his feet, Hsaio on his heels.

“Nah.” Tokage leered at Mutsuki. “Tell me, who was first: your dad? your Mom? your brother? Did you kill your brother and make up the abuse to cover it? Huh?”

Mutsuki doubled over. “No – ghouls killed them, you know that – ”

“He’s clearly upset.” Saiko marched over and tried to place her hand on Mutsuki’s shoulder.

Mutsuki pulled away. “Ghouls killed them – I am a ghoul – I am – I am – I am – ”

“Say it, boy.” Tokage lifted Mutsuki up by his collar. “You are grotesque. And now your Rc count is out of control, you know. You’re a menace.”

He shoved Mutsuki to his knees. “Look at his Rc levels. He’s a real ghoul now. Tell me, what exactly did Torso do to you to make you like him?”

Mutsuki hurt too much to scream. Salt streamed down his burning cheeks.

“I’m bad, I’m bad, I’m bad,” he sobbed.

“Did you kill the cat?”

Mutsuki didn’t respond until Takage pinched his cheek. “Yes!”

“Did you kill your family? Did you eat a dead instructor to survive at the auction? Did you dismember Torso like you wish to be dismembered?” Takage kept pinching Mutsuki just the way he knew Mutsuki hated, and the boy kept whimpering “yes” just to end it.

“So, there you have it.” Tokage straightened. “I did my duty by keeping an eye on him, and now you’ll do yours and exterminate this vermin. Quinx.” He spat at them on his way out.

“I’m not a Quinx,” said Suzuya, leaping forward and kneeing Tokage right in the groin.

Higemaru took a step towards Mutsuki, who jerked his head up to see – to see Urie staring at him. Just staring.

He cried out and scrambled back against the wall. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“I don’t care what you did. You don’t have to be sorry to me,” Saiko said stubbornly.

“We like you,” Higemaru added, and Hsaio nodded with a stern glance towards Aura, who immediately added, “Me too.”

“I like him, too,” Suzuya told Tokage, chewing on a strand of black hair. “I don’t like you. Wait, Mutsuki -”

Everyone’s eyes were on him as Higemaru handed Suzuya handcuffs. “I believe this could be considered interference with an investigation.”

Suzuya clicked the cuffs around a protesting Tokage’s wrists. “If I hadn’t had Mr. Shinohara, I would be worse than you. So I don’t look at you with disgust, because you’ve never done that to me.”

“Come here, boy, my ghoulie friend.” Shirazu crushed Mutsuki to his chest. “Like, am I supposed to be worried you’ll eat me? As if.”

Saiko threw herself atop the two, and Hsaio and Higemaru dragged Aura over.

And through the mass embrace, Urie’s fingers reached out to tap Mutsuki’s shoulder.

“I’m gonna hurt you all,” whispered Mutsuki.

“If we could handle Urie, we can handle you.” Saiko grinned.

Mutsuki’s eyes lingered on Urie. Do you hate me?

“Hey.” Urie smiled stiffly. “You know…whatever you’ve done, you’ve been who you are the entire time we’ve known you. And we like you for who you are. Saiko’s right, I think I’ve been more grotesque than you.”

Mutsuki’s heart beat quicker. Could they – could they all accept him?

“Can I hug you?” Urie asked.

A man…asked him permission to touch him? No one did that.

Mutsuki nodded as tears filled his eyes, and for once he found himself in a safe sea of people who loved him. His family.