Mamman hadn't been home much lately. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I really wanted to find out. I'd asked him about it, and he'd said he was busy.

Tonight, I caught him at his desk, mumbling to himself.

"Wards 10, 14, and 15.. Urgh.. Do the others really do all of this..? Don't they have lives to live..? Seriously.." Mamman sighed. He shuffled the papers he had, stacking them in a pile. He picked up his phone, staring at it. He clicked a few buttons and held it up to his ear. After a few seconds, the other person picked up, and he began speaking, seeming surprised, "You're awake?"

"Of course I am! No matter what hour of the day, you can always reach me!"

"..R-Right.."

"So? What's up?"

"..Well.. Do you guys really pay such close attention to these Wards..?"

"Of course! The twins you saw, they pay especially careful attention to their Wards. But I guess that's because they have more free time. They know everything that goes on in their Wards. They make sure of it. I also try pretty hard, in my opinion. The point of watching is to know where progress is. According to what's going on in the Ward, we might have to try harder. Such as Aogiri strengthening." The person on the other line sighed, "We can never seem to get rid of them.. As you heard, in some of the Wards, minimal, Aogiri members decreased, but they merely migrated to other Wards. That's why it's very important for us to all be paying close attention to the Wards. We all need to be helping better the world or else the evil will just migrate to a spot where they can survive and thrive. Do you understand?"

"... Yes.. But I have such a busy job.."

"Then, I appreciate your hard work all the more. I know your job is also related to making the world a better place. I'm really proud of you, for trying so hard. I can't believe you dedicate your whole life to making everything okay.. I hope you continue to help us, even if you're so busy.."

"..."

"Anyway, it's late. You should probably get some rest, Haise."

Mamman twitched. "... How do you know my name..?"

"? Oh, sorry. Uh, to even it out, should I tell you my name?"

"How do you know my name..?"

"... Eh, I kind of.. I was interested in the Q Squad, I guess you could say.. I researched."

"..."

"Anyway, uh, my name's Hide, so.. Uh, sorry.. But it's not like I researched you after you joined.. I didn't expect you to join our group, it was just.. Um, yea. I, uh, wouldn't know your name if you weren't.. If I hadn't taken a personal interest in you. Uh, I'm blabbering, sorry."

"..."

"But really, you should get some rest, Haise. Keep working hard, but don't work yourself too hard."

"... Right.."

I was curious of what weird little group Mamman had joined, but.. it didn't seem like anything bad. Who was I to get involved? Maybe I could join some day, but..

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

I glanced around. Just as we'd been instructed, everyone was here on the fifteenth.

"Alright, if everyone's here, then, let's move out," Sun announced, and you could hear the smile in his voice. He seemed cheerful no matter what, really..

-

"Where are we going, Sun?" I inquired.

"We're already there," Sun replied.

"... And.. where is here..?"

"I've been researching, and I was able to find this spot. We're going to have a friendly chat with an old friend." I stared at the apartment we were in front of.

Who could be here..? How will visiting them apply to our goal..?

Sun knocked on the door, and after a while, a girl with light blue hair opened it. Her eyes furrowed.

"Who are you?"

"Just some friendly ghouls and humans, passing by the neighborhood," Sun replied casually, and it sounded like a password or something, but by the way this girl didn't recognize him, I assumed that was not the case. "So, Touka-chan, we'd like to talk with you. We can do that, can't we?"

"... Who. Are. You."

"My name's Sun," Hide pointed to himself, then his little brother, "This is Eyepatched Sun. That's Eyepatch. That's Curl. That's Vine. That's Tail. That's Serpent's girl-"

"My codename is not Serpent's girl, Sun-kun.." the girl with red hair interrupted softly, and you could hear the disappointed frown in her voice.

"Right, right, sorry, I just thought Touka-chan would understand better if I- eh, whatever. That's Dog Serpent. And finally, that's the twins."

"We are not the twins, Sun-san. Our names are Ninja Girl and Ninja Boy."

"... Right.. I prefer to call you the twins though."

"... At least call us by our group name, Sun-san.."

"Koutouwarimasu." The twins sighed.

"... Fine. Come in."

So, we entered.

-

"And, that's basically what I want."

"... You want me to help Aogiri stop growing and attacking?" Sun nodded. "And why exactly are you asking me of this?"

"... I'm sure you know exactly why, Touka-chan."

"... You are smarter than you act, aren't you?"

"I look into things."

"... I'm sorry, Sun, but I don't have the same ideals that I used to. I've learned to understand that ghouls and humans can't live peacefully together. You should get that into your thick head, too. Ghouls and humans will always be at war.."

"... How unfortunate you think so. You do know that many humans and ghouls are having successful partnerships, correct? Here our group is, with three humans, three half-ghouls, and three full-bred ghouls. We get along just fine, even though we know of each other's species."

"That'll fall, just like all of the others.."

"... Touka-chan. There is evidence right in front of you. Why can't you see that? We can rebuild Anteiku. We can calm the Wards. If we had your help, then maybe-"

"You're a fool."

"... -then maybe we could calm the Wards down. Aogiri is breaking everything, don't you see? What would Yoshimura-san say if he knew what you were doing?"

"He's dead."

"He is not. And even if he was, it doesn't mean you should toss away everything that mattered to you from him. There is a couple - a human and a ghoul - that have been together for a long while and are standing strong together. There is a GHOUL in the CCG. And there is still a group who are striving for human and ghoul peace, even after all that has burned. Please, Touka-chan.. We need your help."

"There has been a couple who had a crazy b*tch for a child," Touka hissed, "and two pairs of friends that don't even talk to each other!"

"But we are making progress!! We are making PROGRESS, Touka-chan!! The humans here - and even the ghouls - could easily exploit ghouls to the CCG! But we are not! I could easily tell the CCG where you are, right now! I could tell the CCG where the Black Rabbit is, and the Serpent, and Eto, and everyone else! What pushes me not to? Do you really want chaos to ensue because a few people lose hope in ghoul and human connections?"

"Get. Out."

"Touka-"

"GET! OUT!"

"But-"

"I don't want to hear you babbling off about something that can't exist! We can't live in peace!"

Sun writhed and shook in anger for a few seconds before a calm-sounding, totally in-control voice came out of his lips, the anger being ducked under his tongue like threatening venom.

"Yoriko-chan still worries about you." Touka twitched. "She still wonders where her dear best friend went.. I could easily tell her about your true nature. And she'd accept you. I know she would. Would you join our cause then? If she came running back to you? And by the way, Touka-chan, the other pair of friends? They're back together again. Even if the one doesn't even have a clue, they're friends again."

"... That's impossible," Touka hissed, "Yoriko would never accept a monster like me.. And I know what situation that half-a** is in now. There's no way they're back together."

"They are."

"They're not. There's no way. That half-a**ed wimp has amnesia."

"So? Does it really matter, Touka-chan? They found each other again. HE CAME BACK TO HIS BEST FRIEND WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING. Fate is nice like that sometimes."

"Fate is never nice."

"It can be merciful though."

"Not to a ghoul, even if he is an artificial half-a**."

"... Think on it, Touka-chan. And in the meantime, I'm going to recruit Yoriko-san."

"DON'T YOU DARE!!" Touka shot up, "DON'T YOU F*CKING DARE TELL HER!!!"

"I will. Ghouls and humans can live together.. They can thrive.. They just have to be aware of the other's species - and accept it. I'm sure Yoriko-san will accept you, Touka-chan.. Don't worry." Sun stood up, "Anyhow, we should be leaving. Expect Yoriko-san in-"

An ukaku crystal nicked Sun in the cheek.

"Don't. Tell. Her."

"... Touka-chan, do you know how many ghouls I have evaded? I do not want to hurt you."

Everyone was standing up, ready to fight, except me. I was gaping in shock behind my mask. {And of course, Sun wasn't exactly in the fighting position.}

"Besides, there's no way you can win. You know that."

"... Don't. Tell. Her."

"... What are you so worried about..?" Sun asked softly, "She'll accept you. I know she will. And if not," Sun chuckled, "I could just tell her it was a joke. Or I could present insanity. Something like that. Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

Touka shook.

"Don't. Tell her. Please.."

"... It'll be better in the long run, Touka-chan. Just trust me. I'm intuitive!"

I wasn't sure if Touka believed him now or not, but I doubted it. Either way, she let us go.

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

"Aww, Touka-chan ruined my mask.." he whined, rubbing his finger against the opening.

"I don't understand how you liked her, Aniki." He grinned back at me before grabbing some materials. He started to fix his mask. "Were you really friends with her..?"

"Yep."

"... She seems so rude and.. She seems to act quickly before thinking. She seems stubborn and-" He started laughing, and I stopped, frowning at him. "What?"

"Ah, just, you are completely right, little one. She's a hard egg to crack, that's for sure."

"... Nee, Aniki.. who was it?" He merely smiled at me.

He didn't respond what ghoul it was.

For all I knew, it could have been the Rabbit or even Eto.

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

Saiko hadn't mentioned the conversation she'd overheard. That doesn't mean she wasn't curious though..

And she was investigating.

She made note of when Haise was out. She researched. All she found was an unexpected discovery.

Hideyoshi Nagachika

Nickname: Hide

Age when gone missing: 19 years old

Would be 22 years old now.

Description: brown eyes, orange hair, often wears headphones and bright colors, very annoying and energetic.

If you see this man, please call (XXX) XXX-XXXX.

She wasn't sure who the man was, but she supposed it could be a possible lead.

The thing was, he was missing. Whether this was the person Haise had been contacting or not, she wouldn't be able to find him.

It's surprising, though, that this boy was in the CCG.

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

"Kosaka-san~!"

"Hai~!! I'm coming!!"

Creak~

"? Who are you?"

He grinned, "I was in a similar position as you are. I want to help. I guess you could call us fellow human-friends."

"? ?"

The boy's smile fell into seriousness, "Kosaka-san, I know where Touka-chan is, and I know why she's avoiding you."

My eyes widened.