ANGST OF GLORY

Touka drops her plate. Yomo enters her new cafe, Dragon, with someone leaning on his shoulder. 

Everyone’s been out raiding the CCG tanks, while she sits here on bloated ankled with a bloated stomach. Eto and Yoshimura she’s heard were discovered, and she can’t wait to see Yoshimura and punch Eto. 

But the man leaning against Yomo, the thin man with her blue hair and Ayato’s eyes.

Yomo sees the confusion on her face.

“What’s all this? Dropping a plate?: Ayato saunters in, Hinami by his side.

“Oh hell no!” He screams, and flees upstairs.

“Hina.” Touka manages.

“On it.” Hinami thunders after Ayato. “Don’t make Yotsume angry!”

“Dad?” Touka whispers.

Arata’s eyes focus on his daughter. His very pregnant daughter.

Kaneki enters the room, dragging Ayato by his feet while Hinami takes his hands. 

“That’s your son-in-law.” Yomo points to Kaneki, who pales. 

He’s been outed way too soon. Damn you, Yomo. 

Touka approaches hesitantly. 

“I – I’m sorry,” Arata says. All these years he’s been gone. And now – 

Touka is afraid to hug him. Bu she remembers Akira, and what Akira wouldn’t give for this chance.

So she does. Arata gasps with happiness he knows he doesn’t deserve.

“This is Ayato and your future-daughter-in-law,” Yomo narrates. 

Ayato and Hinami turn red. But then Hinami shoves him forward, and he starts sobbing into Arata’s shoulders.

“Thank you, Yomo. For taking care of them,” Arata says.

“I didn’t much. That was Yoshimura,” Yomo admits.

“You knew each other?” Hinami’s eyes are wide.

“He’s Hikari’s brother,” Arata says gently. 

“Wait what.” Touka steps back to stare at Yomo.

Ayato kicks him in the shins. 

“I was too afraid of failure to tell you,” Yomo admits. 

“And here I thought I was the one afraid of failure,” Kaneki says.

“Hey, you’re lucky I didn’t beat the shit out of you, kid,” Yomo snaps.

Arata is amazed. Someone, these people made a family without even considering bloodlines. 

He loves them all. He hopes they forgive him.

He touches Touka’s belly. “Boy or girl?”

“Twins,” she replies with a straight face.

Arata collapses as Touka shrieks. “I was kidding! Kidding!”