Ui decides to intervene and save Shio and Rikai and runs away with them and Hirako and Yusa. (Don’t kill Hajime though please.)

Ishida might as well have beheaded me instead; it would be less painful am I right?

A scream catches Ui’s attention. He turns his gaze away from Yusa as Hajime’s kagune hurtles through Shio’s knee.

Rikai is diving forward, but another tentacle aims for her throat.

“I taught you better!” yells Ui, and then he stabs Hajime.

The Oggai’s eyes widen. Blood spurts from the child’s mouth. “You…”

I just stabbed a child. Ui wishes he were dead.

Hirako recognizes the look on Ui’s face – the dead look, the look he wore after Hairu was killed.

Shio scrambles back on his feet and hacks off Hajime’s kagune while Hirako tends to his leg. “Mister Ui, you saved me!”

“You do love us,” says Rikai. Shio throws his arms around Ui, who remains frozen.

“Ui, will you hear us out?” asks Hirako.

“I can’t leave him.” Ui watches Hajime writhe on the floor, growling and wailing in language that deserves its own spot in hell.

“Then let’s help Hajime.” Shio grabs the kid’s arm.

“Don’t touch me!” shrieks Hajime.

“Poke him,” hisses Yusa. Hajime nearly killed his best friends. His family.

Shio acquiesces, and Hajime hisses. His hands are bound behind him, and Ui can’t believe those are his own hands doing the binding.

Whose side am I on? Who do I fight for?

He sees Shio and Rikai’s faces. Oh right, them.

“Let’s go.” Hirako lifts Hajime by his shoulders, and Ui takes his legs.

“Jesus fucking Christ put me down! AHHHHHHHHH!” Hajime howls. “Ui, you traitor! You son of a bitch! I hate you!”

“We don’t hate you,” says Shio sadly. “I wouldn’t have tried to cut off your head.”

“Liar!”

“You really think Shio would lie? You know you’ve had better training than that,” scoffs Ui.

Where is he going? Why is he following Hirako to treason? To hell?

He sees Shio, Rikai, and Yusa, feels Hajime thrashing against him. These kids will be the death of him, but honestly…

He can see Hairu doing the same thing.

Can you do Kaneki/Sasaki returning to his CCG family and being forgiven by them and welcomed with open arms? I need this

I need open arms now too after that … knife to the heart that was 143.

Go, Touka had urged him. You can’t live a lie anymore.

And here he is. Standing before the Quinx – Mutsuki is held back from his arms by Urie and Aura – before Suzuya Squad, before Nimura Furuta.

“I…I know I hurt you all.” He looks into everyone’s eyes, except Furuta.

“Yeah, and you hurt my aunt,” snaps Aura.

“It wasn’t him,” Hirako Take says from behind Kaneki.

“Huh?” Aura pales.

“It was me.”

Aura’s face blanches, and Shio, Rikai, and Yusa leap in front of their leader.

“Calm down, tall angry man,” begs Shio. Despite herself, Saiko laughs.

“Why?” Ui spits.

“Because Arima…Arima killed himself,” Kaneki whispers.

“That sounds convenient.” Iwao Kuriowa cocks an eyebrow.

“It’s the truth,” Yusa snaps.

“We all saw it,” says Rikai.

“Urie, Mutsuki, Saiko…I know I hurt you. The world has enough hurt in it; I need to stop the hurting.” Kaneki wipes his eyes. “I’m not on the ghoul’s side anymore. I’m not on the human’s side anymore. I’m on the side of working together.”

Furuta scoffs. “Are you buying this shit?”

“Work together, like in one-eyed ghouls? Not the failures we are.” Hsaio points to herself and Furuta.

“Exactly!” Shio beams at her.

“What?!” yells Higemaru.

“Haise…” Suzuya steps forward. “Just so you know, I’m supposed to kill you now.”

“Please don’t,” Mutsuki says, and Saiko prepares to launch her kagune.

“I don’t want to,” Suzuya finishes. How can he kill the only other person who looked at him with Shinohara’s eyes? “So if there will be more fighting, it won’t come from Suzuya Squad.”

“Or the Quinx,” Urie says.

“You can’t be serious.” Furuta laughs nervously.

“We are. Also, we actually like Haise, Director.” Hsaio plants her hands on her hips. “Let’s confess everything. Right here, right now.”

“No.”

“So there is something to confess?” Hirako challenges.

Furuta knows he’s caught, but Kaneki steps forward. “I’m not going to hurt you, Furuta.”

“Mamman!” Saiko launches herself into his arms, and Urie and Mutsuki follow with Suzuya.

“Oh, what the hell.” Aura joins the rest of the Quinx. So his Squad founder didn’t maim his aunt. He’ll settle a duel with Hirako later. Right now, he sees love pouring from everyone towards Kaneki Ken, and he wants some of this love.

Hajime regretting that he killed his two friends

“They made me work for it,” Hajime says with a grin.

And in that moment, he truly feels proud. He didn’t hesitate, even when Ui Koori did, even when Yusa screamed Rikai and Ui stepped in front of him. And then Shio had dove in front of Ui, yelling don’t touch her, and it happened so fast, but he won. Hajime won.

Would Mom and Dad be proud of him?

He doesn’t fucking care.

In the next week, though, Hajime finds himself crying himself awake at night. He remembers Shio’s awkward hugs and Yusa telling him about the realms of Narnia, Middle Earth, and the Wizarding World. He remembers Rikai’s shy smiles.

They were weak. He was strong. Why does he care?

Because now there’s no one left to love him, though Hajime will never admit this to himself.

Ui hasn’t looked at him the same since. Now his expressions might as well say you ghoul, ghoul, ghoul.

Hajime throws back his head and laughs. He can’t afford emotion. Furuta taught him well. The Bureau Chief likes him.

When he finally drifts back asleep, he’s awoken to two dark figures in his room.

“Who the fuck are you?” His voice, which has only just begun to deepen, cracks. Fuck.

It’s Hirako and Yusa, isn’t it, come to kill him.

“Do you remember me, Hajime?” A flashlight turns on, and Amon Koutarou stands there, flanked by Mado Akira.

“Traitor!” Hajime snarls at Akira.

“When everything came down, I didn’t betray my friends,” she replies stonily.

Hajime snarls.

“We’re not here to hurt you.” Amon extends a hand. “I was transformed by Dr. Kanou, too. We’re here to take you home.”

If Hairu was still alive. Hairu mourning the death of Shio.

Hairu totters closer to Kaneki Ken’s body, to the bloodstained, pale indigo head…and the pale blue one. Kaneki starts, and Hajime Hazuki laughs.

Shio.

Hairu’s first instinct is to scream, to collapse and wriggle on the ground with Kaneki. There is nothing she can do.

Ui, you were supposed to bring them back to me! Where is he?

Hairu can’t bear to look at the head, to imagine Shio’s final moments. My god, what have we done?

She’s long known Shio was innocent. If he and Squad Zero fought Hajime, they must have had a reason to follow Hirako rather than Ui.

Hairu feels tears in her eyes, and she’s crying, but she’s walking forward.

Hajime Hazuki feels himself lifted up by his hair. To his surprise, he sees Ihei Hairu holding her quinque at his throat.

“How would you like it?” she shouts. “Hmm? Would that make you feel good?”

She throws him to the ground. He has to know she would never.

Hajime bares his teeth.

“Did you feel powerful? Did you feel like the ghouls who murdered your parents?” Hairu laughs. “You are just like them!”

“Take that back!” screams Hajime, scrambling to his feet. For a moment, he looks like a terrified kid. Terrified like Shio was.

“Siding with traitors, are we, First Class?” Furuta sneers.

“I’m siding with my family! With Arima and Rikai and Shio!” Hairu fires T-human at Furuta, and in the chaos grabs Kaneki. She flees, far, far away from Shio’s head, as if outrunning him will undo the past.

“Where do we go?” Was this how Hirako felt when he fled? Where is Hirako, anyway? “I’m not letting you die, Ken.”

Because this is how Ihei Hairu mourns, with tears and firepower. She will honor Shio’s legacy and protect the one he fought for.

Uihai playing a good game of monopoly

“You’re being so mean.” Ui pouts.

“I’m being mean?” Hairu gasps.

“You threw me in jail!” Ui crosses his arms.

“That’s because I’m bankrupting you,” Hairu says gleefully, moving her battleship along.

“I’ve never lost Monopoly before,” Ui growls. “We’ll see who bankrupts who!”

“If Arima were here, he’d win for sure.” Hairu giggles.

“I’m good at this, too.” Ui sniffs. Hairu sticks out her tongue.

But he is good. So good, in fact, that when Arima, Hirako, and Squad Zero return to CCG the next morning, they find the two still battling at Hairu’s desk.

“Have you been here all night?” Arima is amazed.

“Children, never do that,” Hirako adds.

“I’m so close,” Ui whispers through bloodshot eyes.

“I won’t cave. I’ll be strong, like you taught me, Arima,” Hairu replies, not taking her eyes off the board.

“Someone’s gotta film this.” Shio flips open his phone.

“What’s going on?” Suzuya Juuzou runs in. “Ooh, that looks fun!”

He grabs the board.

“Noooooooooooooooooooo!” Ui stands in slow motion. Hairu falls backwards.

“It’s a draw,” Arima declares. “Now both of you go home and sleep. You’re in no shape for battle.”

“I was a battleship,” Hairu says dreamily.

“Preferably together,” Hirako adds. The kids burst into giggles, and Arima glares at him.

The misadventures of baby masanori

Everything is a misadventure with baby Masanori.

Hairu and Ui first learned he could crawl when he disappeared from his room one night. As Ui melted down and called Arima in a panic over their kidnapped child, Hairu found baby Masanori in the bathroom. He was splashing toilet water.

His first word was “mwah.” It’s what Auntie Eto told him to say.

Masanori’s first sentence was “I love you,” to his daddy. Ui melted and Arima (after a poke from Eto) told Ui he was proud of him.

He once decided to give Mommy a haircut. She woke up to her bangs snipped off with scissor. Hairu was more upset that she had to wear her hair different than Ui than she was about the actual haircut.

Masanori once tried to convince Auntie Eto to give him human flesh to eat. Just to try it. Ui nearly passed out and Hairu was pissed.

When he grows up, he wants to be Uncle Uta or Uncle Shio.

His favorite day of the year is his birthday, because Uncles Shio and Yusa, and Auntie Rikai, play water balloons with him. Next year he’s planning to rig traps that dump dozens of balloons on his enemies at once. Hairu encourages this, and Ui will be helping build the traps. It’s only fair because Hirako is preparing the rest of the Zero Squad kids.

Shio, Rikai and Yusa buy Masanori a phone (probably with hirako’s money) and he losses and breaks it the first day he gets it.

Obviously with Hirako’s money. Those hellions. 😀

“Now, only use this in emergencies and to play Candy Crush,” Shio tells Masanori.

The kid’s eyes are the size of the phone. “It’s all mine?”

“Yes.” Yusa made sure to buy a heavy case for it.

“Thank you!” Masanori screams, throwing his arms around Shio, Rikai, and Yusa one by one.

“I put all of our numbers in there to be safe,” Rikai tells him.

“You’re the best.” Masanori holds the phone to his ear. “I’m like an adult.”

Masanori knows Shio told him not to use it much, but he can’t imagine taking selfies is wrong. Mommy loves selfies.

He climbs onto the toilet to get a full image of himself, like he’s seen Mommy do.

His foot slips, and with a cry, Masanori’s foot and his phone splash into the toilet.

“Uh – oh.” Masanori has a bad feeling about this.

“Everything okay?” Daddy rushes in. “Masanori, your leg!”

“It’s fine. My phone is not.” Masanori holds up a dripping iPhone. His leg remains twisted.

“Mommy can tend to your phone.” Ui grabs Masanori. “Let’s make sure you can still walk.”

Hairu approaches. She bursts into laughter upon seeing that Masanori is okay, but his “phone” is dripping. “Whose phone is that?”

“Mine. Shio, Rikai, and Yusa bought me,” he says sadly. “They’ll be very sad.”

“I think Hirako’s wallet will be sadder,” Hairu says with a grin. “Ui, time to call up Take.”

Masanori gets lost in the mall while shopping with Ui and Shio and Hairu doesn’t know. Ui and Shio go on a quest to find him.

“Where’s Masanori?” Ui pauses. He was just here a second ago.

“Uh.” Shio pivots. “I see no pink haired child.”

“Where is my kid?” Ui shrieks.

“Koori – can I call you that -”

“No, you may not.”

“You’re practically my brother-in-law. I’m calling you that.” Shio giggles. “We’ll find him. Where would Masanori like to go?”

“Where can he cause mischief?” Ui asks. Hairu’s going to kill him.

“Stop panicking.” Shio feels unqualified to be the adult here. “Hmm. The arcade?”

But there is no Masanori in the arcade.

“Where to?” exclaims Ui over the shrieks of children who all have their parents and who aren’t in danger due to being fully human.

“The toy store?”

But there is no Masanori in the toy store.

“The escalators!”

But there is no Masanori riding the escalators.

“Where next?” cries Ui as his phone buzzes. Hairu.

How’s shopping? 😉

Everything’s fine, he texts back.

His phone rings. Hairu’s calling them.

“Hi?” he squeaks.

“Ui, what’s wrong? I never asked if everything was fine and now you’re being very vague and unsettling,” she says.

“I’ve lost our child!” he wails.

“Put Shio on the phone.” Her tone is crisp.

“Uh-huh. Yeah, we were in the clothing store looking for sneakers and then he was just gone. No, we’ve already tried that. Yes, Ui’s still breathing.”

“Well.” Shio hangs up.

“He’s probably been kidnapped!” Ui gasps.

Shio ignores him to call Uncle Arima. “Hey, Arima? We need reinforcements.”

Twenty minutes later, Hairu appears with Arima, Eto, Hirako, Yusa, and Rikai behind her.

“No,” Arima is saying to Eto.

“Yes.” She stomps her foot. “If we want to find a mischievous child, we need to think like one.”

“So like you?” Shio teases.

“Someone like me.”

“I think it’s a good idea.” Hairu holds up her phone. “I have Uncle Furuta on line.”

“What?” wails Ui. He does not want to talk to that creep.

“Ui, if you lose that kid I gave you, I will decapitate you myself,” Furuta says over speakerphone.

“Not funny.” Ui’s voice breaks. “Where is he?”

“Let’s see. If I wanted to cause mischief, and worshipped my inspector parents, where would I go?”

“He’s with the mall cops?”

“Probably.” Ui can hear Furuta shrug. “Though if they haven’t called you, I bet he’s just spying on the mall cops.”

Ui growls. “Thank you.”

That hurts to say.

As they approach the security station, Arima suddenly whirls around to the dense, decorative foliage outside. “Hello.”

He hauls a sheepish Masanori out.

“Masanori!” his parents both wail, rushing towards him.

“Mommy! Daddy!” Masanori throws his arms around him.

“I just wanted to see what the mall police do. Then they tried to call the police on me, so I hid,” Masanori says sadly. “Wait, why is Uncle Arima here?”

hairu discovers memes too

“First Class Ihei, what say you?” Arima smiles at her.

Hairu beams back. “The ghouls will respond like this!”

She holds out her phone.

“We’re the second picture, obviously.”

“I see.” Arima struggles not to laugh. Shio, Rikai, and Yusa are lost causes.

Hirako snickers. “Sounds like we all agree.”

As they rise from their meeting, Hairu adds, “Arima, have you ever played with memes? They’re so funny.”

“Do explain,” Arima says.

“Okay. For today, I will only communicate in memes!” Hairu cheers. “It’s the cleverest form of communication.”

“You’re the clever one,” Ui says lightly.

Hairu’s eyes light up. She taps something on her phone and holds it up for Ui.

“Yes, I do.”

“Okay, boo,” Hairu sings to Ui, who blushes.

When they return, Kijima approaches.

Ui scowls, and Hairu grips his hand.

She hasn’t held his hand before. His eyes widen.

“Both of you are wanted in Hirako’s office,” says Kijima.

“Cool.” As soon as his back is turned, Hairu unveils another meme.

UI doubles over laughing. When they arrive in Hirako’s office, he sees a very smug grin on their colleague’s face.

“Our youths have their own memes. I hope you haven’t missed your phone too much, Ui.”

Ui gasps. He hadn’t even noticed – he was focused on Hairu.

Hirako wiggles his eyebrows.

In a fit of giggles, Shio holds out Ui’s phone to Hairu.

I need some tender moments between my four boys Yusa, Shio, Rikai, And Hajime.

Don’t we all.

“Hajime, why do you hate us? I thought we were friends. Remember Capture the Flag?” Shio’s lips tremble.

“You saved our team because you ran so fast Mayazumi and I couldn’t catch you,” Yusa recalls.

Hajime’s eyes twinkle. He might be chained up like a ghoul, and they might be traitors, but yes, he remembers.

“I wish you didn’t hate us,” adds Rikai.

“Then why do you hate us enough to side with ghouls?” Hajime’s eyes harden. “Just because you never watched your parents die in front of you, are you incapable of siding with your own kind?”

“You’re not even our own kind anymore,” Yusa protests.

“We’re closer to you, though.” Rikai’s heart thumps. She hopes Hajime listens.

“Huh?”

“We’re part ghoul,” Shio says sadly. “We’re all children of Tsuneyoshi Washuu. He was a ghoul and we’re his failed experiments.”

“That’s a fucking joke.” Hajime scoffs.

“It’s not.” Shio’s eyes fill with tears. “Furuta is playing you. Arima knew. He wanted to save us, so Hirako defected.”

“I don’t believe you.” Hajime shrieks. “Go away!”

“We can’t! We have to face ourselves!” Yusa screams suddenly. “You will, too!”

“No!” Hajime screams back. He can’t. He can’t even face what happened to Mom and Dad.

Rikai sniffles, but she reaches through the chains to embrace him. “Hajime, I miss you.”

“We all did. We miss all the academy.” Shio wipes his eyes. “We miss not killing too.”

“I don’t.” Hajime shrugs.

“We like you,” Yusa says. “We wish you would be in our family. All part ghouls with Washuu Rc cells in them.”

“Washuu?”

“Your kagune is from a ghoul of the Washuu clan,” Yusa explains. “Guess we’re like family, then.”

Hajime doesn’t know what to say or do, but for a minute, he thinks Mom and Dad would approve of these brothers and sister. He no longer resents their hugs, and tilts his chin to rest on Rikai’s shoulder.