"N-Nnh.." the boy's eyes fluttered open. He was met with a white ceiling which was particularly blinding.

Haise was certainly a male. And yet he had delivered a baby, Arima knew. Arima was so confused at the fact that he hadn't even realized his son was awake.

Haise stared at his father for a little, his brain completely drained.

By the time he realized what was going on, he asked his father, "Dad? What's going on?"

Haise knew he was in a hospital. He remembered having a kid. But other than that.. and regarding that.. he wasn't sure what was going on.

"! Haise!" his father looked at him.

"The.. kid. Where is that kid?"

".. He's being inspected.. He is part ghoul, after all. .." Arima mumbled, "But who ever heard of a ghoul making its own mask.. except for kakujas.."

Kaneki Ken, the ghoul that Haise previously was, had made his own mask at least twice, since he was a kakuja-in-the-making. The first time, the ghoul had gone out of control, killing/eating left and right. Amon Koutaru was his last opponent before he'd finally calmed down. The agent had been talking to (yelling at) the ghoul, and it had suddenly began sobbing, saying it didn't want to eat anymore.

Kaneki Ken's mask was the same as the child's mask.

Arima twitched as he remembered how the child had sneered so creepily.

THAT was why the CCG didn't mind killing ghoul children. They were the same as adult ghouls- evil, conniving, creepy, and above all: deadly.

The child was currently being inspected, but considering the warning (threat) that had been given to Arima, they were not killing the child. They were being extra careful not to even hurt it.

"Haise.. who is its father?"

"! .. I don't know what answer you're wanting."

"? Who's its father?"

".. Like I said, I'm not sure which answer you're wanting."

"I-I guess all correct answers," Arima was irritated that Haise was being so confusing.

".. I am.. I'm a dad.."

A?

"And.. HE is.."

".. S-I--I mean the birth parents. The male and the female."

"There is no female.. Ah. Um.. he says 'unless you count'.. 'Rize'? Wh-Whoever that is.."

"Rize.. eh?"

Arima was aware that Kaneki Ken had the kidney and kakuhou of Rize Kamishiro, but..

".." Haise looked at his father uncertainly. Defenseless. Revealed. Open.

"..." Arima sighed, "Haise, what are you spouting? I want the truth, not some hocus fairy tail!"

".. It.. is the truth.. H-He.. doesn't lie to me.."

Arima sighed in frustration. "Never mind. I guess I won't get the information from you." Arima stood up, "Whatever. They're going to do a DNA test anyway, so we'll find out the truth anyway."

".."

Haise watched as his father left the room.

".. Why is he so angry?" Haise asked the person who was always hanging around.

"Because he doesn't believe us. He thinks we're preposterous. He thinks we're joking. Lying. Don't worry, he won't be angry at us for long. After all, he said so himself: he'll find out the truth anyway because they're taking a DNA test. He'll understand soon enough."

".. You're sure?" Haise looked up at the boy.

"Yes. So.." the boy went behind Haise, wrapping his arms around his neck, "Don't worry." Haise gripped the arms, closing his eyes. "Don't worry. I'll protect you. And I'll make you happy."

".. Hai.."

------------

"What?!!"

"Like I said.. the DNA is.. exactly like Haise's, only more active."

"But that's impossible! It's not like Haise - or humans or even ghouls - are asexual beings!! A child is born from a male and a female!! So if Haise is definitely male, where is the female?!!"

".. Like you asked, we also did a test on your son, and in the sense you're referring to.. technically, Haise is the mother. But he's also the father. Both of the child's sex chromosomes - an X and a Y - are from Haise."

"But that makes no sense!! Even if Haise did clone himself, they should be the exact same!! The same look, the same everything!!"

"We don't know, sir.. The child is--"

"HNYAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the child cackled suddenly, its kagune sprouting and waving around everywhere.

"C-Code Red!!" a doctor shouted as they all tried to get the child subdued.

"... But that's impossible.. he must have a-"

Then Arima remembered. What Haise - and the man who'd possessed him - had said.

Haise was the male mother. And HE - referring to the man who had possessed Haise - was the father.

In other words, Haise had essentially had sex.. with himself.

Whoever had posessed him was essentially the same person. The man who had posessed him was Haise, and yet not Haise.

"!" Arima finally put the pieces together, realizing it all. "That boy is.. That boy is.."

That boy is Kaneki and Haise's birthchild.

It finally made sense. Haise being himself and yet not himself. The child having Haise's kagune and Kaneki's self-made mask. How Haise could see the man who'd possessed him. How Haise had sex without Arima's knowing. Even down to the many times Arima found his son, unconscious and naked, in his room.

The man who had possessed Haise.. was none other than Kaneki himself.

Which meant that the man wasn't technically 'possessing' Haise. He was merely taking back his body for a short amount of time - to calm the child down. And the one possessing the body.. was technically Haise.

But if that was so.. Kaneki could take control of Haise's body at any time, and yet he wasn't..

Why? If Kaneki could take his body back, why hasn't he? Why was he just watching from the sidelines?

Everything finally made sense, and yet nothing did.

But little did Arima know.. what he'd just figured out wasn't actually the complete truth.

It was not Kaneki Ken. That boy was dug a million feet under. That boy had been disappearing ever since he'd become a ghoul.

No, the one who had been 'taking his body back'.. was certainly not Kaneki Ken.