SIX YEARS LATER

Eto sighed as she entered the apartment, dropping her book bag onto the floor.

"Been practicing?" she called out.

The paintings on the walls hung crooked, a lamp was broken, and one of her plants had been tipped over and soil covered the carpet. A loud crash from a back room confirmed her suspicion.

She walked down the hallway to find a playful skirmish. Her husband quickly fired knives into the air, but not so quick as to actually kill their twelve-year-old children. Hitomi's glowing turquoise bikaku kagune swung at her father, but he easily dodged her. However, he paid less attention to Kaito's blood red rinkaku, which jabbed at him relentlessly.

All three were tiring, sweat dribbling down their foreheads. Suzuya was dressed in his work clothes, and Eto assumed he had arrived home not long ago.

"That's enough!" Eto shouted at Hitomi's kagune almost whipped a framed picture off a desk.

Suzuya dropped his knives and smiled at his wife.

"I didn't hear you come in!" he said enthusiastically.

"Hey mom," Hitomi said, retracting her kagune and tying her long white hair back in a ponytail.

Kaito, though both parents were short, had grown quickly and was now about 5'3''. His red eyes were still sharp as ever, and his teal hair hung in his eyes. He looked even taller next to his twin sister, who was still under 5 feet.

"Hey, where's Kotori?" Kaito asked, wiping sweat from his brow. "Wasn't she sparring with Miza?"

"She's coming over later, Kimi wanted to see her," Eto said, and then remembered the wrecked living room. "Kimi is going to drop her off in an hour or so for your sleepover, so I expect the mess you made to be cleaned up by then."

"Yea, okay," Kaito said.

The twins stood still for a moment.

"Well, get on it," Eto said.

Kaito and Hitomi hurried out of the room, leaving the married couple to themselves. Suzuya yawned and flopped down on the bed, unbuttoning his work shirt. Eto sat down at the foot of the bed and admired the stitches going down his navel. She marveled that though he was now thirty-two, somehow, he didn't look a day older than the day she sat next to him at the park. His soft white curls fell into his face as he took his hairpins out, giving him an angelic look. But Eto knew better.

"Slaughter anyone recently?" she asked nonchalantly.

Juuzou smirked and kicked his slippers off.

"Just a few ghouls that were preying at a children's park in the third ward. You?"

Eto sighed. "Sadly, no. It's been meetings and boring training stuff. Kotori is progressing with Miza's help, today she took out a few lower-ranking ghouls sparring. She's not the most physically powerful, but she's defiantly stealthy."

"Kimi's coming over later?" Juuzou asked.

"Yes, not for long though."

"Does that mean I'll have to put clothes on?" he pouted as he pulled off his work shirt.

"Unfortunately, yes," Eto giggled, laying down beside him.

"A shame, a shame," Juuzou said, clicking his tongue. "How's she doing with Kotori being with Aogiri so much? Doesn't it bother her, or does she not know the horrible things being in your little club entails?"

"She doesn't know, we've been over this."

"Right, I just would've thought she'd turn on the TV every once in awhile and see the horrible things Aogiri is involved with."

"Apparently not," Eto mused.

"How was the meetings today?"

Eto sighed. "Good, I guess. Working on how to destroy your employer and all, you know, the usual."

"Uh huh. How is everyone?"

"Good I suppose. Tatara is working with Noro on a project that could lock down the eighth ward, but other than that, stoic as usual. Honestly, I don't know what Kanou is up to, which is a bit disturbing— for obvious reasons."

"Obvious reasons," Juuzou agreed.

"Whatever he's working on, he's been very hush-hush about it. Ayato's been a pain, but less so than he used to be. Miza is working hard with Kotori, and a lot of the big players see potential in her. She's on her way to becoming an executive."

"She's thirteen," Juuzou commented.

"I said on her way, she's not there yet. She tends to hold back when attacking, she needs to be broken of that."

"I hope I never have to kill her," Suzuya said without hesitation.

"I hope so too. But other than that, Takizawa just follows me around, and Naki—Naki is actually doing quite well. His gang is expanding rapidly and he's becoming more powerful."

"And less dumb?"

Eto sighed. "Yes, and less dumb. I'm meeting him tomorrow, we're going to go to Kanou's lab to see what he's up to. His level of secrecy is making me uncomfortable."

"Hitomi will be disappointed that she's not going," Suzuya said sourly.

Eto laughed. As much as the white-haired girl cared for her biological father, her bond with Naki seemed much stronger. When she was younger she often insisted on following him around, sitting next to him at the table, reading with him, and, if he was around, having him put her to bed. She knew it upset Juuzou, but she found the father-daughter bond between Naki and Hitomi amusing.

"You know she loves you," Eto said.

Juuzou shrugged. "I'm going to breakfast with Josei tomorrow anyway."

"How's she been?" Eto giggled. Juuzou spoke often of his partner, and Eto had taken to the stories of her antics with her longtime crush, Arima.

"She tripped over a chair and fell on him," Juuzou said, knowing exactly what his wife was asking.

"And she still hasn't told him her feelings, after all these years…" Eto whistled.

"Yep."

"What about Amon and Akira?"

"They're doing well. Their daughter is always around, and she's involved in all the CCG training programs that one can be at age twelve. She's set to be an investigator."

"She enjoys it?"

Juuzou shrugged. "Sure seems like it."

"Mom, Dad!" Hitomi called out. "Kimi and Kotori are here!"

Juuzou sprang up from the bed and grabbed his work shirt and quickly pulled it back on.

"I thought you said they'd be here in an hour," he hissed.

"That's what she said!" Eto said, following her husband out of the bedroom.

Kimi was seated on the couch beside Kotori. The young half ghoul had shaggy chestnut hair that came down to her shoulders and eyes of the same color. Black glasses slid down her nose, and she pushed them back up and sniffed. Her mother sat properly beside her, and she gave Eto a warm smile.

"Sorry to show up so early, but something came up at work. Here are Kotori's things," she said, handing Juuzou a black backpack. "You're sure that her sleeping over won't cause any trouble?"

"Of course not," Eto smiled. "We love having her over."

Kotori smiled politely and flashed a grin at the twins, who now stood behind their parents.

"Go play already," Juuzou said.

Kotori hugged her mom, grabbed her things from Suzuya, and then scampered off to the twins' bedroom with them, the door shutting behind them.

"Hard to imagine them as teenagers," Kimi sighed.

"Don't have to," Eto laughed. "They already are."

Kimi shook her head. "It seems like just yesterday I met her father…"

A hint of sadness appeared on the woman's face, but it quickly was replaced by a smile as she stood up.

"Well as I said, something came up at work, so I best be on my way."

"It was nice seeing you," Eto smiled and embraced the woman.

Juuzou offered a wave as Kimi left and the apartment door quietly shut.

"You want coffee?" the half ghoul asked Suzuya as he sat down on the couch and flicked the TV on.

"With extra sugar," he grinned.

Inside Hitomi and Kaito's room, the three friends sat on the ground.

"How late do your parents go to bed?" Kotori asked.

"Pretty late," Hitomi said, twirling a strand of white hair. "They never check on us though."

"How about twelve?" Kaito suggested.

"I'll text her that," Kotori said, pulling out her phone.

Within a minute, her phone buzzed in response.

"She says it sounds good," Kotori smirked. "At 11:30 we'll sneak out, and meet her at twelve."

The twins grinned deviously, anxious for what was to come.

Hey everyone! I wasn't going to keep writing this but I got some awesome reviews that cheered me up, so here we are! I appreciate any feedback you have to give!