Chapter Text
For ghouls, the night and the moon were allies that had been long associated with them. The glow of the night was when humans had smaller chances in attacking, capturing and killing them for centuries. You can't kill what you can't sense.
The moon remained in the sky, as ages began and ended. And now, it witnesses the stated golden age of the world. Where the ecological problems of the world cease to exist with the help of advanced futuristic technology, enhanced super-humans taking over 80% of the population and unity between two races that have clashed for thousands of years. Humanity represented by the strongest human in the world, Ghoul kind with the king who violated the natural order of the Earth by transforming into dragon. A monster worthy of being called a creation of Satan when it rampaged through the night, unable to be defeated because of the properties it possessed. In its vicinity or when it was harmed did it release a harmful toxin that either left humans with damaged quirk cells or turn them into ghouls.
All Might rose to the top because of his heroic actions, Ken Kaneki in his own unorthodox way that left many to debate online if he was a hero or a villain. Kaneki himself once said that he was simply someone who wanted to do the right thing who gradually became an anti-hero when he got a better understanding of the reality of the situation.
Everything could have been more perfect, the world would have been filled with less mistakes if only certain what ifs had transformed from a mere dream to reality.
The moon watches as events occurred. Beautiful, tragic and blood-curling scenes. It then watches the events that followed after those incidents occurred, how different groups react and move on from it.
It rises, it watches and continues.
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He had seen it all, in all of years of living has Ken Kaneki seen and heard it all. In fact, he's participated in a lot of events that not even normal heroes will go through in years unless they dare to traverse deeper into the rabbit hole that leads them closer towards the roots of evil. When Nishiki had accidentally revealed Touka's pregnancy to him, that was what he needed to push him to create a new world. One where his child (soon to be children) will live in happily, different from the lives he, Touka and his friends had.
Although it proved to be a challenge, especially with heroes who insist that they were doing the right thing by taking down their villain organisation. Kaneki was thankful that All Might was still in America during this time, his power slowly reaching other parts of the world.
There were hardly any real ones since becoming one was a trend encouraged by the fake ones in the media, how they spread their gospel through television, radios and any where possible if it was publicised. Doves or more commonly known as investigators were more silent and open back than about asking people to join them, they had good reasons to. For then, it was the mindset that ghouls were parasites or a species that didn't belong to the world.
Was it the outfits, their personalities or the actions many take to reach fame? People could only speculate why the king never showed any emotions to heroes he meets live on television or during discussions.
"Honestly, it was because of the first generation of quirk users and ghouls that made most of us resent heroes. Even the word of it causes us to instantly stiffen and search for an escape. Fight or flight, chose to fight? It's either you or me that's going to walk out alive."
"Glorified murderers, even doves have the decency to kill us in private back then. But them? Do you know how it feels like to see someone the same kin as you lay on the ground with a hero on top of you? A fist in the air?"
"They were worst, they killed every one of us in sight."
To this day, their numbers are still slowly recovering from the massacres of the first generation. The ghoul population once spiked up instantly during one night, the night that forced humans and ghouls to work together which would later be known as the 'Dragon Incident'
It was an event that lasted for days, only being stopped after the One-Eyed-King took down the last core. At that moment, when he was the true hero of Japan, and even the world did he say that he wanted peace, equality and be the sword to break down the wheel of suffering between the two species. It took a while, but relations could not be stronger than it was thousands of years ago. Still trying to improve for the better.
Kaneki looked up at the sky, the same dark night that he saw when Rize attacked him. It was a beautiful night, tranquil and cool. To think, if he wasn't the one in a million to be attacked, survived and transformed into an urban legend-the future wouldn't be what it is now.
There was a flash of lightning, the light appearing before the sound a few moments later. In a flurry of red did his beloved appear right before him, her normal eyes replaced by two kakugans that were equally as beautiful.
"And you said you used to be afraid of heights." Touka said, a small smile on her face. The wind gently blowing her hair.
Stunning, she was stunning.
Beautiful, a work of art.
"How can I show fear when I stand where I am now?" Kaneki asked, Touka nodding her head at his answer. Understanding the deeper meaning behind them. She walked towards him, both of them embracing as they normally would. Though they have aged, their love was as young and fresh as their appearance. Kaneki felt it, how Touka tightened her hold in his clothes making him hug her tighter too.
"I'm still here Touka-chan," he assured her, "I'll never suffer through rapid aging like the others did."
She placed her hand on different spots of his body, thanking the organs that function under the skin. They were miracles.
"Why are you even up here in the first place? You know tomorrow is a big day for Kishou." she stated, remembering they're normally stoic 14-years-old son looking more stressed than normal. Even more than the times Arata and Ichika would gang up on him.
"I know, I know." Kaneki replied, saying it with a sigh and his eyes closed. He licked his lips, feeling the air drop in temperature. "But how do we, as parents allow him to join such a dangerous career? This goes against what we wanted for him, Ichika, Arata and Kae."
Touka placed both of her hands on either side of his cheeks, standing on the tips of her toes a bit to kiss him on the tip of his nose. "Ken, are you forgetting that we are ghouls? You being the king, the prototype, and more titles that I could care less to bring up."
"How can I forget?" he asked back, wrapping his arms now around her waist.
If Kishou wanted to become a hero, then so be it. He has their support, if he wants to quit, then them as parents will only continue to support and be right behind him. When asked why Kishou wanted to join a career that his parents didn't have fondness have, he would simply answer :
"There aren't many ghoul heroes for young children to look up to, they would feel different and excluded. I'm good at fighting, I love the adrenaline rushes. I believe heroism and I will form a rather professional relationship."
Hide blinked, leaning into his long time best friend's side when his oldest son announced that during a get-together hang out at the family's home.
"I see he really takes after grandpapa." he snickered, Kaneki groaning at the overused jokes to refer to his relations with Kishou Arima.
Kishou's face remained blank, focusing his gaze on Hide.
"Impossible, we have little information about that deceased individual. He's been dead for decades, and unimportant to the world, thats why we know nothing about him."
Kaneki let out a nervous laugh when he saw that his friends were giving him concerned looks.
Arata blinked.
"I thought...Uncle Ki was our grandfather..." he said, voice filled with disappointment. Kishou turned his head and glared at his younger twin.
"Idiot, you can't be an uncle and grandfather at the same time." he hissed, Touka about to scold him when Arata released his own fire.
"It's possible through incest!"
"KISHOU, ARATA!" Touka hissed, taking off her sandal at lightning speed. Seeing the sandal, Ichika instantly dove under the table, banging her head against it causing glasses of water to spill as the twins escaped. One by jumping onto the table whereas another ran away screaming while doing the Naruto run.
"Thank God I did not end up with Rize at all." Kaneki shivered, remembering how he was attracted to her just because she reminds him of his mother.Also maybe because of books, she looked hot-Ah stop, Kaneki shook his head for a bit. Touka rolled her eyes, noticing the shiver he let out and the look on his face.
"All the years that have passed, yet you're still talking about her." Touka sighed, faking a look of hurt that instantly caused Kaneki to widen his eyes and panic.
"T-Touka-Chan!"
As the couple walked back home, it turns out that Yomo had offered to watch over the kids. Kaneki smiling at a video Yomo had of him secretly recording Arata and Ichika doing a short dance video together. Both of them were in the backyard, Yomo upstairs presumably hiding behind a curtain as he recorded from the angle. Briefly can he hear Kishou's voice asking what he was doing before Kishou disappeared-accompanied by the sound of smaller footsteps.
"Do you remember who enrolled Kishou into robotics lessons after he stole Arata's Lego set." Kaneki asked, handing back the phone to Touka. Touka looked up, humming a bit.
"Can't really call it robotics lessons considering it was Akira who taught him all about quinques, and all that." she replied.
When it came to their education outside of school, Kaneki placed great trust in those who earned his approval. It felt a bit overwhelming, especially to his younger children when he left them alone with someone he hasn't known for a long time.
"Do we spend a lot of time together? Yes." Kaneki began, beginning his defence when Hide once pointed out his...clinginess. "Do we have a special bond? Absolutely, but do I coddle my children more than any other loving parent?"
Hide raised an eyebrow.
The screen flashing back to the times Kaneki would pick any of his children up early, go home from date night early, go home from work easily, suddenly become a malewife when either one of the kids sneezed or felt hot, carried them all the time as toddlers and babies and perhaps had one of his hands or rinkakus hold their hands whenever he brought them into his office with them sitting on a soft pillow reading a book because Kaneki did not like Cocomelon at all. Touka remembered the time he scared her mid-make out session just because he heard the sound of something falling, jumped from her and ran out the door of the bedroom. She did not appreciate that at all, especially after finding out that the source of the sound was because of one of the family's pet and he woke up the toddlers because of that.
"..."
"..."
"It's possible." Kaneki confessed, trying to look innocent. Touka and Hide both know better that innocence will no longer be a word that should be associated with that man no matter how he acts or looks.
To Kaneki's defence, he read online that children sometimes get anxious when parents were inside of that bathroom. Those words alone was what made Touka leave the children with her brothers while she took Kaneki to a resort far away from them.
When the duo finally stepped into the front door, it was Yomo who first rushed in to greet them frantically-eyes wide while he was seemingly looking for someone.
"Yomo...who's missing?" Kaneki slowly asked, Touka wondering what they both had just walked into.
"Arata, Kishou and Kae......." Yomo's voice trailed, hearing the snap of a finger. "ssssssssss appetite."
The couple shared a confused look, hearing the sound of vomiting as three kids ran around them before bolting out the door. Ichika was skipping happily, eyes widening at the sight of their parents. "Mom! Dad! Do you want some cookies?" she asked, offering them a heart-shaped-one. Her fingers slipped, Yomo flinching when the cookie shattered the ground.
"Honey, why don't you wash up and get some sleep?" Touka asked, looking down a bit to meet her daughter's eyes as Kaneki and Yomo ran to chase after the runaway trio.
"Why don't they like my goodies? I love cooking so much, but they never seem to try them-neither do you and dad." Ichika teared a little, Touka feeling a bit guilty.
"It's because you're the one with the special stomach in this family my love."
Ichika nodded her head, hearing it for the thousandth time.
"But Kishou, Arata and Kae are my siblings, they were born from you and dad's love for each other. Why are they different than me?"
For someone her age, Ichika was sheltered. They all were, one of the mistakes in their parenting that made Touka worried from time to time about their wellbeing once they needed to walk on their own as adults.
"We'll tell you soon, I just need to get it through your father first." Touka assured her, kissing her daughter's cheek.
"About what?" Ichika asked, flopping onto her cool bed.
"That even with all the power he has, he can never truly forge the safe path he wants all of you to walk down upon."
Kaneki was no perfect man, his actions were questionable to even his own family. Like Uta, Touka sometimes wonders just how deep his layers go. His actions hold meanings, his words too that always made her cautious. It left a bitter feeling inside of her, knowing that she had to be careful when hearing or even just looking at him.
"Oh love..." Touka sighed, watching her daughter sleep as she heard the sound of footsteps from outside.
They came home.