Chapter 14: end of innocence

Mado was quite proud of his partner. "So you went to get this alone last night?" he rhetorically asked. In front of him was the mask Amon had discovered in the grave; now sealed in an evidence bag. He smiled at Amon. "As expected of the top student at the academy." Amon just judgingly stared at the other two men at the table. "I only did what was necessary as a ghoul investigator." He turned back to his mentor and stated, "With this we can finally make our move." Mado grabbed his quinque. "Ah, the stage has been set. All the props and actors have been prepared. All that's left is to start the climax of this man versus beast tale." He started to lovingly cradle the suitcase it was in; a disturbed smile across his face. "Then we can watch the fantastic reaction of our prey when they see my new toy."

The door to Anteiku opened and in walked the Kaneki family. Ken was in one of his usual outfits while Shiro and Kuro were both in their school uniforms. "Damn it! We're gonna be late!" Kuro basically screamed as she immediately started to look for something around the shop for something. Thankfully the shop was largely empty. The few customers at the moment were ones that Ken recognized as ghouls; relaxing him slightly. He didn't want to admit it to the others, but since he had heard of doves being in the ward, Ken had been wary of his sisters or even himself being around humans a lot. This worry was doubled by the fact that Uta still was not finished with their masks. He had said it would still take a couple days; complaining about artist block or something.

"It's not here either," Kuro groaned. As she pouted, Koma came over to where Ken was watching Kuro and Shiro was reading one of her new books. "What's the matter with Kuro today?" Ken answered, "It seems that Kuro has started to get seriously interested in baking. She's always liked to look at human food; from behind a window or across a room. But being worn down by Yoriko, she's finally started to take steps into actually learning how to cook and get near the stuff. She borrowed some book about cooking from that human but apparently left it here last night during her shift. So she forced us to rush over here before Shiro and her need to be at school. Even though I offered to pick it up when I had my shift today." Koma just shook his head. "Well unfortunately I haven't seen it since I've been here. Could you have left it in the dressing room?" he asked.

Kuro got up and grabbed Shiro; pulling her to the women's changing room. "Big bro," she called, getting her brother's attention. "Go upstairs and look for it there," she ordered. "Ma'am yes ma'am," he teasingly said as she disappeared through the back door. Ken right afterwards went upstairs and began look for it. He didn't see it. Granted Ken had only checked one room so far but it's not like Kuro would be in many of the others here; especially holding her book. The only one probably being the break room. So he headed to the room that served as a place to rest and have meetings among the ghouls that ran this café. When he reached the door he heard the sound of clinking silverware. He paused for a second confused, but decided that it wouldn't be that big deal to go in. So he opened the door and was surprised to see Hinami in the room; fork still next to her face with a piece of blood dripping meat. Their eyes met for a second. Ken smiled at the young girl. "Good morning Hinami chan. I didn't expect you to be here today. Is your mom picking up another package or something today? Ah that's right. I still need to find the book. Excuse me Hinami. I just need to check and see if that silly Kuro left her book in here."

He entered the room and began to look around. He occasionally glanced at the young girl in the room. She was a nice but shy girl. While he had had met with her mother a decent amount and got along well with her, the young girl always seemed to be too afraid to approach him. He noticed that she had stopped eating and was now beat red; her hands tightly grasping her skirt. He was about to ask what was wrong when he heard a familiar voice yell out, "Big bro!" He looked up to see Kuro and Shiro. He noticed that she had her book but not the embarrassed blush she now wielded. "Oh so you found i…." He didn't finish as said book came flying at him and impacted his face hard enough for something in it to crack. "Ow! What the hell Kuro?!" he asked only for the younger girl to run in and grab her book and him by the ear; pulling him out of the room. After they left Shiro simply bowed to Hinami. "Sorry for the rude interruption by our older brother. Please take your time and enjoy the food," she apologized and then shut the door.

Back downstairs Ken grimaced. "So you saw her eating? That's not good Ken. Girls really don't like to be seen like that. You should apologize," Koma explained. Ken turned to his two sisters with a glare. "Huh. This is news to me. I don't remember us ever having this problem." Shiro decided to answer her upset brother. "First, you're our older brother. It's not as big a deal with family members. And second you should know that me and Kuro are not really into a lot of ghoul femininity. After all our female role model was a human." Kuro nodded. "Yeah we didn't really get taught proper femghoul stuff till after we lost mom and dad. But even if you didn't know that you should have at least remembered how shy the little girl is. She's probably said less than a hundred words to me since we met. And yet you just walked right in there on her." Ken sighed. "Ok ok. I get it. I messed up. I'll take her up a cup of coffee as a peace offering later. But you two should really get going. You got school in another ten minutes." And so the two girls left while Ken made one of the nicest cups of coffee he had ever made. And began to climb the stairs.

Kaneki reached the door to the room again and this time knocked. "Hinami can I come in?" he asked. He opened it after he heard her say so. He noticed that she was now only reading. She had cleaned up what she was eating. He placed the coffee cup in front of her. "Please accept this as an apology from this stupid oaf that would be so rude as to intrude on you while dinning. It's on the house. Well do enjoy and I'll be downstairs if you need anything," he apologized. As he turned to leave though, he heard her try to get his attention. "Is something wrong?" he asked; genuinely concerned. "Um, which one are you?" Ken realized almost immediately what she meant. But before he could answer she started to back pedal apologizingly saying, "Ah, sorry. Never mind. I didn't mean to be so rude. It's just that you and your sisters smell different. Usually even if they are far away, I can tell who is like us but your smell isn't like either but also like both." Ken started to laugh lightly at the girl. "Don't worry. Being curios is a good thing. And nice job noticing that our sent is different. For some reason, most ghouls seem to miss that. But to answer your question, I'd have to say I'm closer to what you are. We're hybrids since our father was a ghoul but our mother was a human. Despite how amazing that sounds it's not really that great. We have weaker senses then other ghouls and can handle human foods better but that's about it. Still have to eat meat and worry about the doves same as you. Sorry for being such a weird guy." She seemed to shrink into herself. "It's not weird, just stunning," she hesitantly responded.

Ken then noticed the book she was reading. Excitedly he picked up the book. "Hey it's Monochrome Rainbow. You read Takatsuki's work? That's really impressive. Even when you realize that Monochrome Rainbow is a collection of short stories so it's relatively easy to read. Which one do you like the best?" He asked; completely absorbed in his element. "Summer Dairy is a good one. But so is Resentment." The child ghoul scrunched her face as she answered, "Koyotokiame." At first Ken was confused till he realized she was saying the kanji wrong. "Oh you mean Sayoshigure. It's the prototype of the Black Goat's Egg. It's scary but really good."

Seeing how he seemed to know how to read them, Hinami began to ask him how to read several kanji in book and slowly come out of her shell. No longer was Ken just a stranger but a smart friendly young man that she could talk to. Ken was just happy to finally be able to connect with the girl. Though seeing her write down the Kanji he explained to her made him realize that she wasn't able to go to school. This saddened the boy. She was such a smart kid and so sweet and innocent. But simply because she wasn't human, she was unable to go to school or experience a truly fulfilling life. He decided then and there, that he would make sure to teach all she wanted and give her the education the world denied her.

"So you will get your own food from now on?" Yoshimura asked Ryouko. The female ghoul nodded her head. "Yes, I need to take responsibility for myself and Hinami. I can't just keep relying on you and Anteiku anymore. Hurting humans is too dreadful and impossible for me to do but if I use Yomo's and Ken's method then I feel I could get by. Thank you for all the help you've given us." The manager waved her off. "It's fine. That's is why Anteiku exists after all. To help all ghouls in need. When you're ready, I'm sure Ken or Yomo would be willing to show you where you can manage to find some bodies you can use. And don't forget, if you ever run into trouble we are always here to help you." Ryouko smiled and bowed; truly thankful to the older ghoul.

They both went upstairs to fetch Hinami, only to find her still talking with the male Kaneki about how to read different kanji. Ryouko was happy that her shy daughter had been able to finally break the ice between her and one of the new hires from the café. "Hinami, it's time to go." The young girl jumped up at the sound of her mother. "Mother," she squealed in delight and ran over to hug her. "Kaneki taught me a lot of new words," she reported. Ryouko petted her head. "Oh my, that's so nice of him. Thank you so much Kaneki," "It's no problem. I had a lot of fun too." Yoshimura looked out the window and asked, "It looks like it is going to rain. Would you like us to lend you an umbrella?" Ryouko graciously accepted it. As they were leaving, Hinami turned to Ken and said, "Thank you. Please teach me some more next time." The half ghoul smiled. "Sure."

Later, as the two female ghouls were walking down the street, the rain was falling down decently hard. "Wow it's coming down pretty hard isn't it? Good thing we have an umbrella huh," Ryouko observed. "It's called Shuu mom! Kaneki taught me about it." Hinami happily exclaimed to her mother. "Fufufu, he sounds like a very knowledgeable man." Hinami was looking forward to the next time she could meet her new big brother. "He said he would teach me more next time."

However their happy revelry was interrupted when they heard footsteps behind them. Ryouko just knew that they were after them. Especially when her daughter confirmed her worries. They picked up speed in their walk; just short of a full on run. The pursuers kept pace. "Hinami, can you tell who is chasing us?" Ryouko asked as she did her best to figure out a way to escape. "There are two men." However she soon stop; nearly causing her mother trip over. "What is this smell?" Hinami asked no one. In front of them were two more men who were obviously doves. The older one started walking forward. "Dreary day isn't it? The rain impedes my ability to do my job and decreases my field of vision. But sometimes rain can be a good thing. After all it washes away all sorts of filth. Like pollution, dirt, and screams of dying pigs. Could you spare some of your time for us, Mrs. Fueguchi? We would like to ask you about this?" he pulled out a bag with a familiar mask.

As curious onlookers started to gather, trying to figure out what was happening, the younger dove stepped forward. He pulled out his badge and flashed it to the crowd. "We are ghoul investigators. It's dangerous here so we need everyone to leave here immediately." Hinami grabbed onto her mother's leg as the crowd's stares started to become more hostile and she heard them speaking about her. "Please leave immediately," the dove ordered again.

Ryouko looked down at her daughter shaking in fear and decided on what to do. She hugged Hinami close and unleased her Kagune. Its four parts spreading out behind her like a flower or a set of wings. "Hinami. Run," she said. She heard one of the doves in front of them order something but she didn't pay it attention. Instead she swung her Kokaku at the other two; slashing one in the hand. "Mother!" Hinami yelled out in panic but her mom only shouted, "Just go!" Giving in to her mother's demands, Hinami turned around and bolted through the opening in the other two men. "Don't let her get away Amon," Mado ordered. But before he could act, Ryouko's kagune slashed at him; didn't even come close to hitting him as he expertly dodged it. "I won't let you pass," the mother ghoul stated. Amon only coolly looked at her. "Don't get cocky trash." He activated his own quinque.

"Well I'm heading out now manager," Ken said. He was back in his civilian clothes and planned to head home to wait for when his sisters returned home. Perhaps he'd clean the house. It certainly needed it. "Good work Kaneki," was the reply. "Oh and Touka and your sisters should be back to working their shifts by tomorrow. I'm sure it will be fun." Ken just laughed nervously. "I wonder about that."

He left the shop and began to walk home. As he walked down the street two men walked by. They were talking about something so animatedly that Ken couldn't help but hear, "Man that was awesome. That was the first time I've ever seen a real ghoul. She looked just like a human." "But since it turned into a monster the place got too dangerous." "Man. I wish we could have stayed and watched a bit longer though. I really wanted to see those investigators take her down." Ken froze. They couldn't be talking about Ryouko and Hinami could they? His answer came when he spotted Hinami's notebook that she had been writing all the Kanji he taught her in. He gripped it in his fists as his worst fears were realized. "Shit." He started to run in the direction the two men had come from.

Ryouko was on her knees, panting. She hadn't been able to even lay a single scratch on the dove that faced her. The other one just spectated. "You aren't used to fighting are you?" he asked. "And you're not using your kagune very well." Ryouko gritted her teeth. She was going to die. There was no way she could beat them but at least she had saved Hinami. Mado grinned. "Are you feeling happy that your spawn escaped? That your genes can carry on breeding? Seeing trash like you mimicking human behavior makes me sick. The mother protecting her daughter. Makes me want to vomit."

Mado pushed Amon back. "Stand back Amon. From now on, I'll take it from here. With this guy." He activated his quinque. As she saw what came out of the suitcase, Ryouko broke a little inside. Her tears started to fall. "Ahh, no way. Why? Why do you have that?" Mado started to laugh. "That's it. That's what I wanted to see. Anguish! Despair! Fear! Anger! Show me more! Let me enjoy suffering."

"Damn it!" Ken shouted. He couldn't get anyone on the phone. Neither Yomo nor Irimi had answered. He'd tried to call Koma, Yoshimura, even the café's phone number but not a single phone was picked up. He was just preparing to call his sisters or Touka, when he heard, "Kaneki oniichan!" from behind him. "Hinami! Thank god you're safe! Where's Ryouko?!" Hinami jumped into Ken's chest; bawling her eyes out. "Momma is… Momma is…..," she sniffed and pointed in a direction. "Show me," Ken requested; not sure what he'd could do.

They got there shortly after Mado had released his weapon. Ken pulled Hinami behind a corner of a building where they could watch unseen. He tried to figure out what he could do. There were four of them; only one looked injured. Two of them obviously had a couple of those terrible weapons but the other two were much less armed. Ken figured that if he could kill the weak two or at least knocked them out, then occupy the other two while Ryouko made a break for it. He was sure they could hide the two she ghouls in the basement until they could get them out of here. He reached into his pocket only to not find his mask. 'Ah,' he rationally remembered. 'That's right. I don't have my mask back from Uta yet.' If he went out now they'd see his face also. If they saw him then not only Anteiku would be in danger but also his sisters. He'd make them suffer again. And there was a chance he could fail at saving her or worse; let them get Hinami as well. After Ryouko had tried so hard to let her escape. He thought about his jacket's hood but that wouldn't work. Not with that quinque the dove had. He would seriously have to limit his maneuverability to make it work and that would be a death sentence here.

Mado stood over her and mockingly told her. "If you would have just come quietly then you wouldn't have had to die out on the street like a dog. But then again I would have just dismantled you slowly. But how about this last nicety from me. I'll listen to your last words." Hinami started to come out but Ken grabbed her and pulled her back. "No, stay back," he ordered. Ryouko must have seen or smelled something because she smiled in their general direction. "Hinami… liv…" She didn't finish as Mado's quinque slashed her head clean off. Ken barely had time to cover her daughter's eyes and mouth as she screamed; thankfully sparing her from the sight of her mother's vicious death. But Ken saw it all. He used every last bit of his will power not to scream in rage or jump into a now pointless battle.

"Well now all that's left is the cleanup," Amon stated. However he noticed his partner was not listening. Kusaba asked, "What's the matter Mado." Instead of answering, Mado grinned. With a flick of his wrist he swung his weapon at the corner of a building rip through the brick face. "Looks like there are couple of more rats skulking around back there."

Omake:

Four of the five members of the Sasaki family now stood in the family apartment kitchen. All of them had a nervous but determined face. "You guys ready?" asked Takashi. The three young ones looked to him and solemnly nodded. They opened several windows and prepared some fans to blow away the coming fumes. They had but one goal. To make a birthday cake for the matriarch of the family.

The boys lost at rock paper scissors so Ken and his father had to bake the cake part. The started from scratch. From the disgusting eggs to the vomit inducing flour. The flour was the worst. Lots of it floated in the air as they clumsily tried to mix and stir everything together. Finally they were finished and the kitchen aired out. The cake in the oven.

The boys went to the living room to catch their breath while the girls set to work on making the icing. It wasn't five minutes till they heard some machine run and Shiro's and Kuro's terrified screams. The men rushed into the kitchen to find out that they had tried to mix cream but instead a bunch of it had splashed out of the bowl. Shiro was at the sink still retching out her guts. Kuro, meanwhile, was panicking at being covered in the sweet goop. "Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" she kept repeating with tear stained eyes. Ken couldn't help it but giggle a bit. Kuro sent him a death glare before throwing some of the stuff in his face. Some of it shot up into his nose. For weeks after this incident, he'd visibly shudder around any cream.

Takashi sighed and shoved his kids into the bath to clean up while he finished it. When they came back the cake was out. It was bit blackened and not the yellow color it was supposed to be but a toffee brown. The icing was beyond runny. But they all four helped putting on the icing. Once it was done they all four stood back and looked at it.

"I don't think it looks that bad," said the father ghoul.

"It looks depressing," said Kuro.

"looks like cat throw up," stated Shiro.

Ken sighed. "She's gonna hate it."

Before they could decide what to do about it, the door opened and Hotaru came in. Flushed with excitement from another successful pitch for a novel to her editor. To the surprise of everyone else she thanked them for the cake and ate the whole thing. And thus ended another happy adventure of the Sasaki household.