“Itori, how are you?” Yomo sits across from her at Helter Skelter, where she’s holed up the last month. She says she’s busy regaining her figure and working harder than ever. He suspects this is not the case.

She looks up, her eyes red. From alcohol or crying, he’s unsure. “I miss her.”

Her voice rises. “I just – what was I thinking? I know how to evade CCG. Do her new parents? If she dies, is it my fault? What if she hates me?” 

“All those feelings are natural.”

“They hurt.” Itori knows someday she will laugh at her despair. But that day is not today. 

“Uta and I have a surprise for you.” 

“You do?” Itori brightens. 

“Come along.” He drags her out of Helter Skelter, where a relieved Uta waits.

Yomo drives towards a well-to-do apartment complex with an enormous tree in the front. “We’re going to climb that tree.”

Itori snorts. “Why?”

“You’ll see.” Uta tugs her out of the car.

When they reach as high as gravity allows, Uta points inside one of the apartment complexes. The sunniest one. 

“See?” 

She gasps. That peach hair – the baby is being bounced up and down by a woman. A toddler boy, clad in sunshine yellow, clutches the woman’s leg and tries to pin a bow on Hikari’s hair. His hair is a similar shade to Hikari’s. She’ll blend right in. 

She may not ever need to know she was adopted. 

But she looks happy. 

Itori presses a hand over her mouth to keep from crying. Uta doesn’t hold back, though, and even Yomo sniffles.

A tall man, who looks nothing like either kid, enters the apartment and greets his wife with a kiss. He immediately scoops up the toddler with one hand, and Hikari with the other. He kisses Hikari as the toddler boy kisses him.

Hikari giggles.

“She’s happy,” Itori whispers, her voice raw. 

“You did good, girl,” Uta says back. “And we can come back anytime you like.”

“Thank you.” She throws her arms around both of them. “You are the best friends in the world.” 

I wouldn’t be surprised if something like this happened, given how much she knows about human/ghoul pregnancies. Love it.

“You’re really pregnant?” Uta stares at her.

“Yes!” Itori yells, trying not to cry.

“You can cry,” he says.

“I’m not weak. I just – I won’t – it’ll be fine.” Itori backs away as the door to HySy slams shut. She whirls around. “Ren!”

“Itori?” He gapes at her.

Itori snarls at him. “This is why I never told you! You’re going to judge me, aren’t you?!”

“No,” Yomo says simply. Hikari … Itori will not wind up like Hikari. “We’ll help you.”

He hesitates, then hugs her. 

Itori squeezes him back in one of her characteristic too-tight hugs.

“Is the father around?” Uta asks.

“Probably not.” Itori shrugs.

“Do you want it?” Yomo asks bluntly.

“I don’t know.” Itori looks serious. “But I don’t want an abortion, if that makes sense.”

“Of course it does.” Uta offers her an eye. “I wonder what body parts you’ll crave.”

“Shut up, you.” Itori whacks him playfully.

“No blood wine.” Uta winks.

“Don’t keep it around me.” Itori can’t help but smile at her friends. 

Eight months later, Itori crawls into HySy, doubled over and moaning.

“Are you in labor? Here?” Uta exclaims. 

“What does it look like?” Itori snaps. “I want an epidural.” 

“That requires a hospital which requires you being arrested, so no.” Uta sighs. “I’ll call Ren.”

Yomo barrels in less than five minutes later.

“Did you hit anyone on your way over?” Uta asks. “Help me get her into the back.” 

Yomo is armed with baby pamphlets. “I called Dr. Fueguchi. He’ll be here soon.”  

Itori cringes. “Here comes another one!”

“How much longer?” she groans after Dr. Fueguchi arrives. She’s lying on the bed Uta prepared, biting down on a stick. 

At least she thinks so. She really can’t remember anything but pain.

“First labor can take days.”

“What?” Itori shrieks. “Renji – no – cut it out.”

“Itori, you’ll be fine.” Uta strokes her hair.

“No – I won’t.” Itori begins to cry. She can’t even get proper pain medication because ghouls are so cursed. How can she raise a child? 

She can’t.

It’s well past midnight when Dr. Fueguchi tells her to push. She hears a high-pitched scream and sees Yomo catch something in his arms. 

“Is that her?” Itori is certain she had a girl. 

“Yes.” Yomo smiles. There are tears down his cheeks, and even Uta has choked up.

“Can I hold her?” Itori whimpers. 

Yomo wraps the baby in a towel and hands it to Itori. She smiles down at her girl, the girl she asked Yomo to bring to Yoshimura for adoption. But for a few hours, she will have this baby, and she’ll name her Hikari for Renji’s sister.