CHAPTER 23:

PREPARATIONS TO RETURN

Eto wrinkled her nose at the TV screen as she watched the CCG press conference with Tatara and Noro. "Yeesh, Old Man Washuu's going for a whole Triumph of the Will thing. Okay, George Lucas did that for Star Wars, but he at least avoided including any Nazis. That decrepit old fuck has also effectively declared war on Magical Britain…well, they did it first, but still…"

"You still intend on heading back?" Tatara asked.

"Yeah. Even if I can't fight alongside Harry overtly, and I'll have to be careful about revealing the One-Eyed Owl's presence there, I can work behind the scenes, whittling down Voldemort's forces, as well as any elements of the Ministry of Magic who are behind this."

"…It will be dangerous," Tatara said. It was unnecessary to say this, and Tatara wasn't fond of saying unnecessary things, so it said a lot about his strong relationship with her that he said this.

"Life's dangerous. Besides…Harry is worth it. Just remember…if I die…"

"Harry will have a place here, yes. You need not repeat yourself, Eto."

"To you, yes. But to the others…I know many in Aogiri Tree don't like him. Yes, he's a Dove, and the Reaper's little brother, but still…he's one of us now. And as long as I live, I'll fucking eat anyone who dares claim otherwise," she said.

A faint smile touched Tatara's lips at that. The Chinese Ghoul was usually very stoic, but even he could find humour in that. "Eto. Take care when you do go." Again, it was not often that he said what he would call fripperies, but it just showed how much he cared about her.

"Sure…"

Harry groaned as he slouched back into the Chateau, having Apparated to the front door, so to speak, with his big brother. After the press conference, he'd then been subjected to an extended meeting with Tsuneyoshi Washuu. The old fossil had outlined the operational parameters of this little clusterfuck. Rei and Shinohara, along with Mado, would be coming to England…and his big brother too.

The old bastard had made some not-so-subtle threats about keeping himself in line, or else he would be killed like any other Ghoul. Well, terminated was the word he used, like he was some sort of vermin. Hypocrite. As a Ghoul himself, Tsuneyoshi Washuu was the same sort of vermin, only worse, given his history.

Arima was being sent along partly as a propaganda weapon against the Ghouls in Britain, partly because he was easily the deadliest Dove in the CCG, in Japan if not elsewhere…and partly as a means to keep Harry in line. A living Sword of Damocles hanging over his head. Tsuneyoshi believed that Arima and Harry were living weapons at best, to be used and disposed of at their will, obedient only to their commands. That their will surpassed any bonds of sentiment, loyalty and love. One day, Harry intended to disabuse the paedophilic, incestuous and hypocritical monster of that notion. Oh, he was going to enjoy the look on that shitstain's face when he died, preferably with Eto joining in on the fun.

They departed tomorrow, on a chartered plane. Not via Portkey. They needed to be seen arriving in the UK by the authorities. They hoped that the Ministry's anti-Ghoul splinter faction and the Death Eaters would be too stupid to think of targeting an airport, let alone try to find out where and when they were coming. Then again, if some of their opponents were Unspeakables, who might actually have enough intelligence to think about such matters…

Before leaving, they were to write a last will of sorts. It was customary for Doves to do so before leaving on a big operation that might have massive casualties. Harry actually pre-prepared one on his computer, which he printed out after editing it, and then put it into the waiting envelope.

Arima soon came out himself. He placed his own will into the envelope. It was said that Arima left a blank sheet of paper in that envelope whenever this happened. Most claimed it was because he was confident he wouldn't die, but Harry and a few others knew the truth. Until recently, Arima could never figure out what to say. Only sometime after he began looking after Harry did he start writing a will, albeit a laconic one.

"I confess that I find myself…anxious," Arima admitted quietly. "This is the first time I have been fighting against wizards, aside from training sessions with you and volunteers from the local DMLE."

"By anxious, you mean afraid."

"A little. People believe I do not feel fear, but you and I know that is far from the case. It's partly the conditioning they put me through in the Sunlit Garden that blunts my fear, to say nothing of my own abilities as a part-human. But fear also keeps us alive. Even monsters know fear. Then again, as you know, the line between a monster and a person is ridiculously blurry. Nietzsche, as you know, put it best. Those who fight monsters must take care lest they become them."

"Eto quotes it to me often enough."

"…In any case, I am afraid of death, but I am more afraid of leaving you behind. Eto will protect you if Shinohara cannot, but still…I worry. Even though the One-Eyed King plan requires my corpse as the metaphorical foundation of a new world…there is no guarantee it will succeed. But I also fear your demise, what it will do to Eto and I."

Harry nodded solemnly. He knew what would happen. He was the main thing keeping those two monsters remotely human, just as they were to him. "Do you think the Washuu will encourage friendly fire?"

"No. They believe that you are under their control. Only if you weren't would they try to do so…well, unless Matsuri decided to undermine Tsuneyoshi. Which I doubt. Matsuri knows better than to tempt his wrath, or my own. But even the friendly elements of the DMLE in Britain may attack when they see you as a Ghoul. To say nothing of the elements of the mundane government in the know. Many mundane governments don't like the CCG, despite what we do, though this is partly due to the heavy-handedness of the Washuu."

"To say nothing of people like Hachikawa," Harry said, grimacing in disgust at the thought of the Dove whose face, thanks to the leader of the Black Dobers, was missing lips and cheeks. "At least Mado is only cruel to Ghouls. Hachikawa, though, he'd think nothing of killing or torturing normal humans in the way…and then there's that instructor who was giving Mutsuki pointers on how to be a closeted psychopath, when she needed more therapists."

"He," Arima corrected gently. "Mutsuki may be biologically female, but as he has requested to live as a male, with assessment pending for gender reassignment surgery later in life, he is to be addressed as such."

"Sorry, it's confusing. It's stupid of me, really. I can wrap my head around how Ghouls think, I have a split personality in my head, but I can't get the pronouns right for a transgender individual who hasn't undergone the surgery," Harry said, wincing in embarrassment and self-reproach. He didn't want to offend Mutsuki or any other transgender individual, he just didn't quite know how to address them or to speak of them, at least when they identified as one gender, but was biologically another.

Arima nodded. "And yes, Tokage, the instructor in question, is not a particularly good person. A brilliant interrogator, but unfortunately, aside from encouraging Mutsuki's violent tendencies, he has also been overly brutal to Ghouls in Cochlea, to say nothing of allowing Jason to escape on his watch. And I do agree with you about Hachikawa. He has a bad habit of caring little about collateral damage after the incident with the Black Dobers. While I understand his pain and drive, to kill Ghouls and getting civilians injured or worse in the process is something even Mado wouldn't do, though there are plenty of other Investigators who are as vicious or more so than Hachikawa."

Harry nodded. Hell, even he could be ruthless and sadistic towards Ghouls, even without Edward rearing his head. But it was towards Ghouls who deserved it. Out loud, he mused, "I always had a target painted on my back ever since you rescued me from the Ghoul Restaurant anyway. This just makes it bigger."

"Agreed."

They fell into silence after that. Eventually, Harry said, "Do you think the Washuu will see me as a test case, to try and do something similar?"

"In all likelihood, yes. They may not be able to duplicate whatever was done to you specifically, as it was magical, but they may intend to do something similar through surgery or genetic engineering. They've had plenty of practise with the former in their breeding program at the Sunlit Garden."

"I'm not their puppet. I intend to bring the Washuu down at least. Something like the CCG will probably be always needed, as there always will be Ghouls who act violently, even if a substitute form of human flesh can be found. But…they perpetuate it, for their own little megalomaniacal ends. But…to do so, I need to become the One-Eyed King. I'm not strong enough, though. Not yet."

"True. You need to be strong enough to overcome me, Harry. I will help you do so…but it may be that you have to leave the CCG for you to be able to become strong enough. Eto can help you, but you need to become stronger than her."

"No…" Harry said, with a sudden epiphany. "We will become stronger than you, together. We will push each other until we can both overcome you. I will not become stronger than Eto. We will both be stronger, pull each other up to greater heights. Because she is as important to me as you are, and I don't want to leave her behind. If I am to be the One-Eyed King, then she will be my Queen, and as an equal, not as a subordinate."

"…I'm sure that if you ever treated Eto as a subordinate, she'd eat you," Arima observed dryly.

Harry could only chuckle bleakly at Arima's deadpan joke. "Yeah, there's that."

"I get where you're coming from. Society the world over is still frequently a patriarchal one. But Eto is a strong and intelligent girl, when she isn't being deranged. She is already showing herself to be a leader of her group, even if she leaves most of the leading to Tatara. And you want her to be by your side, and vice versa. It is because you mean something to each other."

"We mean virtually everything to each other," Harry said.

"I know…"

Eto sighed as she hung up the phone to her editor, walking along the streets of the 20th Ward early the next morning. Shunji Shiono was a rat of a human, but it was thanks to him that she had gotten her big break into publishing. He was the first human who accepted her for what she was, even if it was out of fear when he came across her meals in the fridge. Then again, he had been checking up on her out of concern. She hadn't gotten used to the idea of locking her apartment, having not actually lived in a proper home before.

She had mixed feelings about him. On the one hand, he had kept her secret for the past couple of years. On the other, she knew that if the CCG actually put any pressure on him, he'd fold pretty quickly. But she could call him a…friend probably wasn't the right term. In some regards, he felt like the father she lacked in Kuzen. In others, he felt like a confidante.

She had been calling him to ensure she had no events or interviews to attend. He was aware, albeit distantly, of her activities, even if he didn't know of Aogiri Tree. She was just taking one last wander around Tokyo, before she took the Portkey to Britain, and the fight to Voldemort. Harry and the Doves were on their way to Britain via plane. She would soon follow.

She didn't realise it until she got there, but her wanderings took her to Anteiku. For a moment, she stood there, debating with herself, before she entered, not even sure why she did so. The smell of coffee hit her nostrils, and she wandered over to a cubicle. Without making an order, she soon found her father sitting down in front of her, proffering a cup of coffee. In fact, it was in a rather elaborate antique cup, and he had its twin.

"What's with the snazzy cups?" Eto asked.

"…I'd hoped that one day, you would come to this shop, and I would be able to sit down for a cup of coffee with you, and talk. I saved these cups for that occasion," Kuzen said.

Despite herself, Eto was actually touched. An old hypocrite he may have been, and Eto still despised him. But the sentiment touched her. She sipped at the coffee, and smiled sadly. "I don't think there's much to talk about, otoooou-san," she crooned the last word. "Not about us. We have our own separate lives and goals. You want peace, I want to stir shit up. You want stasis, I want progress. You want to tame Ghouls, and I want to liberate them. Don't get me wrong, your little business here isn't a bad idea. But it's a flawed one. You wish to help Ghouls hide from the world, not change the world."

"And you will? With violence?"

"The world is built on violence and death. As I told you when we met, I don't intend to be senseless about it. I may be a monster, but not that much of one. I will keep innocent lives caught up in it to a minimum, humans or Ghouls. But I'm not stupid, not some wide-eyed idealist. I just want to ensure the world becomes a better place for Ghouls, ensure that humans and Ghouls can actually find an alternative to this…mess we're in now. Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about that. I'm going back to Britain soon, to help out Harry. There's a very real possibility that I may not come back."

"I see. Then I wish you the best of luck, Eto. You may despise me, and with good reason, but I…"

"…Will always love me, blah blah blah. I'm not here to say I love you before I die. Hating you is not going to be a dying regret. But…if I do die…I want you to know that I wish things were different, that Mum didn't have to die, that we could have been a family. But…we aren't."

"No," Kuzen said quietly. "And as much as this old fool wants us to come back together…I do understand why you won't ever come back to me. We've both gone down too far our respective paths of violence. Your mother was merely the capping stone. And she was a far braver woman than I ever would be."

"…I know…"

As she headed back to her apartment, readying herself to take the Portkey to Britain, she bumped into a dark-haired boy, his eyes bloodshot, clutching a book to him. He tumbled to the ground with a startled yelp. "Oh, sorry," Eto said with a smile. "I didn't notice you there. Hey, kid, are you all right?" He shook his head as he got up. "What's wrong, then?"

"…My mother died yesterday," the boy whimpered. "Karoshi."

Karoshi. The charming Japanese term for death by overwork. While not quite a uniquely Japanese phenomenon, it was certainly a problem. Eto actually felt a pang of sympathy for him. And then, her eyes noticed the book he was carrying. It was a copy of Dear Kafka. "Are you a fan of Sen Takatsuki?" she asked.

Mutely, miserably, he nodded.

Eto decided to do something nice for the boy. A token thing, really, but there was something about the boy that vaguely reminded him of her, though at least he lived long enough to know his mother. So she bent down and smiled sadly as she plucked the book from him. "My mother died when I was young too," she said softly, as she pulled out a pen. "And while this book probably won't cheer you up, well…I hope this does, even a little. What's your name?"

"…Ken Kaneki," the boy said.

"Nice name," she said, signing the book, before handing it back to him. His eyes grew wide when he saw the dedication, whom he bumped into. "I've got to go away for a while, Ken Kaneki, but…I hope you enjoy my books, now, and for the future. Maybe I might see you at a signing?"

"…Yes, Miss Takatsuki! Thank you!" Ken said, his eyes glistening with tears, not just of sorrow, but of gratitude. And Eto was moved, more than a little. It reminded her that her goal was not eradication or domination of humans. She smiled, giving him a brief hug. Ken had the air of a boy whose life may end up as a tragedy. But perhaps, she had helped shine at least one small light into his life…

Fudge had realised something, too little, too late. Normally, his instincts for navigating politics were fairly decent. But his jumping on the information provided by that frightful harridan Augusta Longbottom had had unforeseen consequences…well, to him, anyway. Only now, with the DMLE having threatened to almost entirely collectively quit (even the usually loyal Dawlish) when he sacked Amelia Bones, did he realise it. He'd hurriedly reinstated her, but he had been shown a recording of Chairman Washuu's press conference. It was too little, too late. He had tickled a sleeping dragon, and it had awoken.

Fudge sighed. All he could do now was try and run some sort of damage control and endure a humiliating retraction. Those were his thoughts going through his mind as he left his office and arrived back at his house. But then, just as he brushed his robes off after exiting the Floo, he felt an arm snake around his throat.

"Shhh," hissed his captor, his voice muffled by a mask. "I wouldn't scream. Nobody's gonna find you. Now, I have to admit, Voldemort isn't really doing much for me lately. Yeah, I get to torture people, make them scream and swear and despair…but I don't really like being anyone's lapdog, you get me? It's why I pissed off from Tokyo in the first place. But I could see that Voldemort saw us as being beneath him, when in reality, we're at the top of the fucking food chain."

Fudge was hurled onto a nearby chair, and an attempt to get up was met with a blow to the stomach that knocked the wind out of him. He stared up at his assailant, a tall, hulking man with blonde hair, wearing a hockey mask. The man wrapped Fudge up with duct tape rather swiftly. "Now, I have a few friends in Voldemort's little organisation that got me magical tools that broke through wards and whatnot. The Dark Lord wants you alive, for now, given that your little bit of denial, but frankly…I'm sick of waiting. I want to see some fun. I want chaos, and while there's been a bit, I have to admit, the CCG getting attacked wasn't a good idea, whoever did it. Don't get me wrong, I want to see those Doves die, but…well, I'd prefer to see the Doves and the Death Eaters fight it out, so we can come out on top. So, I'm gonna kill you, slowly and painfully, and write a wee message that places the blame on Voldemort. Any idiot Ghoul who wants to stick with him after that deserves to die, but me? I'm gonna wait for the fighting to die down, and become king here. With the British CCG decimated, and the British Ghouls losing so many…well, it's an opportunity."

Fudge couldn't speak, even when his diaphragm stopped spasming. He wanted to deny everything this Ghoul said. But as the Ghoul took off his mask and revealed flat, vaguely gecko-like features, he knew he had nothing to give to the Ghoul…nothing save for a slow painful death.

"Now, before we begin, let me introduce myself. Most people call me Jason. Now…" With a rather large pair of scissors, he reached for Fudge's fingers. "What's 1000 minus 7?"

CHAPTER 23 ANNOTATIONS:

Oh dear. That wasn't planned when I wrote this chapter, either Fudge regretting his actions or Jason deciding to break off with Voldemort, but hey, it works, right?

Also, the later scenes with Eto speaking with her father and a certain protagonist of Tokyo Ghoul was unplanned too, at least for this chapter. I actually intended them for the next chapter, but decided, they were too good to leave out of this one. Plus, having Eto meet a young Ken wasn't my intention, and yet…well, there's something fitting about these two meeting early. When Ken's mother died, he was in a bad way, especially given his mother's neglect, even abuse of him, and his aunt was pretty nasty to him too. So Eto's gesture may be just the thing Ken needs to get through it.

Review-answering time! Jostanos: Actually, Get Ready to Die by Andrew WK. After having it on an episode of Hellsing Ultimate Abridged, well, what else?

No numbered annotations this time.