Kotori: Damnit! Why isn't it working?!
While the Higanbana girls and her parents were searching the ruined bases, Kotori stayed behind in Shimotsuki to help with Kaneki's surgery.
Council Doctor 1: Kotori-sama please calm down!
Kotori: Sigh~ I'm sorry...
The way she tried to help was by using the time manipulation power of her Great grandmother that Kaneki had access to.
And because she can copy most of his powers and abilities, she attempted to use to to fix Kaneki before the actual surgery. But sadly...
Kotori: Why? Why can't I copy the time manipulation power anymore?
A few minutes ago*
Kotori: Alright let's do this!
Just a little while ago I tried to use Great grandmother's time manipulation, the same one I used to save Kaneki-chan when he was about to use the Death wish...
Kotori: Reverse!
All 4: What?!
But nothing happened.
Kotori: Reverse! Reverse?! REVERSE! REVERSE! WHY ISN'T IT WORKING?!
Present*
Kotori: Why can't I use it anymore? ...
Council Doctor 2: I'm sorry Kotori-sama...
Kotori: Don't be... There's nothing to apologize for...
Council Doctor 3: Kotori-sama... I think it's best that you wait outside, you might get too emotional if you continue to help us.
Kotori: I understand... Please take good care of my brother.
All 3: We'll do what we can.
With that Kotori left the room and allowed the three skilled Doctors from the council do their job.
While she waited outside.
Kotori's thoughts*
(Why? Why didn't it work?)
Kotori confused to why her copied time manipulation didn't work began thinking.
(Am I being affected by an anti-ability weapon? No that's not possible I don't sense any at all... Plus.)
Crack!
Wriggle~
(I can still use Kaneki-chan's powers such as... Huh?)
As she was pondering to why she couldn't use the time manipulation power, Kotori turned her arm into a tentacle to reassure her that she still can copy his abilities.
But upon closer inspection, something was very wrong.
Kotori: Why is it just my fingers?
Only her fingers were turned into very small tentacles.
(I definitely tried to turn my entire arm into a tentacle, but why was it just my fingers?)
She questioned herself why, but then she anxiously thought to herself.
(Wait... Is this related to... Kaneki-chan?)
It was most likely related to Kaneki.
A few hours later~
Kotori: What do I do? What do I do?
Ever since Kotori noticed her copied abilities were getting weaker, she began to get more anxious thinking something was going horribly wrong in the operation room.
Kotori: Is Kaneki-chan alright? Is he hurt?!
She did this for almost three hours without rest, pacing near the operation room and worrying about Kaneki's well being.
Slam!
But as the operation room door slammed open and one of the Council Doctors came out, she immediately rushed to question him.
Kotori: How is my brother?! Is he okay?!
Council Doctor 3: Don't worry Kotori-sama, it's alright. Breathe~
Following the doctor's instructions, Kotori took in deep breaths and exhaled to calm herself down.
Council Doctor 3: Good, did you calm down yet?
Kotori: Exhale~ Yeah... I feel a lot better now... Please tell me... How is my brother?
Council Doctor 3: Well. I bring both good and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?
Hearing there was both good and bad news, Kotori hesitated on which one she wanted to hear first but ultimately chose the good news.
Kotori: The gold news please.
The doctor nodded and began telling her.
Council Doctor 3: Well... The surgery is a complete success, the damaged organs of Kaneki-sama has been repaired. We also used healing magic in order to patch his body up.
Kotori: Thank goodness!
Council Doctor 3: What's more, when we used healing magic his body responded and his registration is returning and the burn marks throughout his body is starting to disappear.
Hearing the good news made Kotori overjoyed, but there was still bad news.
Council Doctor 3: But here's the bad news... After the surgery was finished and we were cleaning up, his eyes turned red to blue—
Kotori: Eh?? How is that bad news? That's just his Demon half?
Council Doctor 3: Let me finish.
Kotori: Oops! Sorry.
Council Doctor 3: After his eye color changed, blood had started pouring out of his eyes.
Kotori: What?!
Hearing such a thing happening after hearing good news shocked Kotori to the core.
Kotori: IS HE ALRIGHT?!
Council Doctor 3: Yes. Luckily the bleeding had stopped.
Kotori: I see... Good.
Council Doctor 3: We'll need him to be monitored, if he continues to be stable we'll consider sending him back to your home to recover.
Kotori: Thank you...
A little while later~
A little while after Kaneki's surgery, Kaneki was brought back into his hospital room.
With Kotori continued to watch over him.
Kotori: Kaneki-chan... What is happening to you?
Kotori was happy that her brother's surgery went smoothly, but hearing blood come out of his eyes... It only filled her with more anxiety.
And what's more odd.
Kaneki: Stare~
Kaneki's eyes were completely opened after he was brought back from the operation room his black and blue colored eyes staring blankly at the ceiling not making a single move.
And as Kotori knows, blue eyes indicates that the one in control is Kaneki's other half, Azuna.
Kotori: ... Kaneki-chan...
Seeing her brother's vegetative state saddened Kotori deeply.
(The world will end if you die... What a stupid joke...)
She was also very upset, the fate of their world laying on Kaneki's life was too cruel for Kotori.
(... Once again... I couldn't protect you.)
She as well felt ashamed that she couldn't protect Kaneki once again.
Thud!
(So many times, so many times I couldn't do anything...)
Falling on her knees beside Kaneki's unconscious body, she began looking back at the times where she could've prevented more of his suffering or many other deaths as well.
(Yuzuki... I should've sent Robecca and Querxes with you... I should've sent more aid to atlantis... I should've done more to protect everyone... But I made Kaneki-chan carry the burden and guilt...)
Twitch!
Kotori: ?!?!
But as she was blaming herself, Kaneki's eyes suddenly twitched.
Kotori: Kaneki-chan?!
(Did he just move?!)
She looked closer at Kaneki's eyes, trying to see if he would move.
Kotori: No... I was just seeing things...
But he didn't so she shook it off as just her seeing things.
Kotori: What am I doing? This won't help Kaneki-chan at all.
Just then, she regained her composure.
Kotori: Blaming myself won't heal Kaneki-chan, it won't fix the past either.
Knowing that feeling guilty and sorry for herself wouldn't fix what has been done, she looked back at Kaneki's unmoving body before telling him.
Kotori: Kaneki-chan. I'm sorry your Onee-chan was acting like that. You definitely wouldn't want me to blame myself as well right? Don't worry I won't do that again...
Splash!
After saying this, Kotori created a new clone to monitor Kaneki as she left the room.
Crack!
Glow~
Her eyes turned turned black and gowed red as she walked through the hallway and declared to herself.
Kotori: We'll definitely find that person responsible.
Vibrate~!
Kotori: Looks like everyone is done.
With her phone vibrating, Kotori knew everyone was done with their expeditions.
A few minutes later~
Atsuo & Aiya: We're home!
Azusa & Emi: Thank you for having us!
At the Higanbana household Atsuo, Aiya, Azusa and Emi had first arrived.
Kotori: Welcome back, please sit down at the dinner table while we wait for the others.
Following Kotori's request, Azusa and Emi went to the dinner table while Atsuo and Aiya stayed behind.
Kotori: What are those?
Atsuo: Files, and these one are... Interesting.
Kotori: Really?
Aiya: Yes we'll show them to you later.
Kotori: Alright.
After their small exchange, the two parents joined Azusa and Emi at the dinner table.
Kotori: Ku-kun! Are they on the registered spot yet?
"They're standing on it already"
Kotori: Good. Darkness travel!
Splash!
She then used darkness travel to send the Higanbana girls back into the house.
Splash!
Higanbana girls & Ku-kun: Woah!
Kotori: Welcome back girls, have you all find anything?
Natsuki: We did. Although it was just murals.
Kotori: That's alright.
Yuuka: Are you sure?
Kotori: Yes. C'mon let's go to the dinner table and study everyone's findings.
Higanbana girls: Yes!
The Higanbana girls then followed Kotori to the dinner table.
Mo-chan: Welcome back, Ku-kun.
Ku-kun: Yo!
Kamakura: So did you and the girls find anything?
Ku-kun: Yeah... Although it was a bit unsettling for us.
Hegon: Ssss~ I have a bad feeling about thisss~
Batta: Everyone be quiet! They're about to begin!
As the Higanbana girls and Kotori sat down, their meeting to study their findings has begun but first.
Kotori: Since cousin Azusa and Emi is with us today, I'll fill them up on everything we've talked about first since they don't know the stakes yet.
Azusa: Yeah we don't know what's going on, all we know it's a family matter.
Emi: Yeah.
Natsuki: It's... More complicated than just a family matter.
Chikao: Yeah. You'll probably not believe what Kotori-san is going to say.
Emi: !!!
Azusa: It can't be that bad.
Kotori: Well listen closely then.
Kotori began telling them about the high possibility of someone manipulating Shino, Yuuka and Miku's actions, the mural, as well as the possibility of the world ending if Kaneki were to die and
Azusa & Emi: Ah—
And the couple were both completely overwhelmed by that information.
Azusa: WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE WORLD WILL END IF COUSIN DIES?!
Emi: This is so much...
Kotori: I understand that you two will have a hard time believing this.
Azusa: The why aren't you—
Kotori: Don't worry, I'm going to order the council as well the entire world government to prepare for this hypothetical end of the world scenario. There are already hundreds of thousands of camps that can hold millions of people in certain areas around the world.
Azusa was a bit reassured after hearing this.
Kotori: Well then, since that's done. Let's begin studying all your findings.
And so Kotori asked for everyone's findings.
Shino: Sure! Here take a look.
Shino pulled out her phone and opened it's gallery and shower Kotori it's contents.
Kotori: !!! These are...
Seeing more concerned Kotori, she then showed the pictures to everyone in the table.
Aiya: W-What are these?
Yuuka: They're murals inside of a hidden church in the base we've been sent too.
Azusa: Is it just me... Or is anyone else feeling a chill down their spines just looking at these pictures?
Emi: I am.
Atsuo: If I were to guess, these murals are depicting the end of the world?
Higanbana girls: Yes.
Sachi: And I think Me, Natsuki and Chi-chan had premonitions of this as well.
Atsuo, Aiya, Azusa, Emi & Kotori: What?!
Sachi began telling them in great detail about their shared dream, where ethe world was overrun by giant monsters eating people.
Alongside the sigh of Kaneki's dead body and Shino, Yuuka and Miku blaming themselves.
Kotori: I see...
Atsuo: If what you say really is a premonition, then we have to prevent it from happening right?
Kotori: Yeah. We can prevent it, although as of right now we can only delay it since all we know the trigger for the end of the world is the death of Kaneki-chan.
Natsuki: Speaking of Kaneki, how is he?
Kotori: His surgery was a success and his organs are mostly fixed, although after the surgery he bleed a little.
Everyone: !!!
Kotori: Don't worry, he didn't lose that much blood and aside from that he is currently in his hospital room still unconscious.
Natsuki: I see..
Azusa: That's good to hear but, what's with this mural?
Azusa pointed at the mural showing a Demon and a Human standing side by side.
Miku: Our best guess was that this human beside him is the one responsible for manipulating Me and Shino-Oneechan and Yuuka-Oneechan on that day.
All 5: Him?
Shino: Haa~ As for this Demon... Well..
Natsuki: Our best guess this Demon was the fallen angel, the first Demon lord.
Everyone: !!!
Everyone in the room immediately knew who they were talking about?
Kotori: Lucifer?
Higanbana girls: Nod~
Seeing them confirm it, everyone gotten more anxious.
Kotori: That... It makes sense. "When the Emperor falls, I will rise again" it definitely refers to him.
Atsuo: Damnit. This just gets worse and worse.
Emi: Hold on. if you said that human was the one rwho manipulated you, then how is he still alive?
Azusa: The mural only depicting the end of the world, so if I were to guess it's only depicting these two side by side.
Kotori: But why a human?
Yuuka: We aren't sure ourselves, but the text in the murals might hold the answer.
Miku: Ku-kun already got some researchers to take the mural to study them closer.
Kotori: Good they'll translate those text quickly.
Atsuo: It's our turn then.
Miku: Where were you guys sent?
Azusa: We were sent to a base that was apparently nearby the city of Osaka.
Higanbana girls: Really?!
Kotori: Yes and one that Mama personally destroyed 16 years ago. Well then show us what you guys found, Papa.
Thud!
Atsuo placed a few folders containing many files .
Natsuki: Huh?
Yuuka: Files?
Atsuo: Yeah.
Kotori: Let me see that.
Kotori took one of them and read what was written on it.
Kotori: What? Project Nightstar?
Kotori began looking through and reading the files inside.
Kotori: No way...
She had a very horrified look in her face upon reading the many logs inside.
Sachi: Ai-chan?
Kotori: No way...
Yuuka: What's wrong?
Kotori hesitated for a little bit before answering.
Kotori: The Clad of Black Wings... They were creating many vessels using the blood of lucifer.
Higanbana girls, Azusa & Emi: Vessels?!
Kotori: Yes... They used the blood of lucifer and human to create vessels for him, but only a 7 were able to survive.
Kotori then showed pictures of the "vessels" showing that they were all kids created with the blood of lucifer.
Chikao: I feel like I want to vomit!
Seeing so many deformed babies created through the blood of lucifer.
It made everyone's stomach hurt just by looking at them.
Kotori: And this last log it was around Mama attacked. "Demon Knight Hiragi attacked, all of the vessels were sadly destroyed while on transport".
Azusa: That's it?
Upon hearing this everyone was confused.
Aiya: I'm not sure why you were interested in these when you found them.
Kotori: Yeah Papa, i don't get the significance of these files.
As Atsuo was being questioned, he gave his own thoughts.
Atsuo: What if... The person who is doing all of this one of the vessels?
Everyone: What?
Everyone looked at Atsuo, confused to why he thinks this.
Atsuo: I know there's not much we have now to prove my theory. But what if one of these so called vessels survived? That file said they were destroyed during transport.
Kotori: That would mean they were already outside of the base when Mama attacked.
Atsuo: That's right, but before she destroyed the base back then she killed the members of the Clad of Black Wings outside of the base first with a blast from her Hiragi Dragon form.
Kotori: So there is a small possibility of one of the vessels surviving.
Atsuo: And if it did survived someohow, someone could've found one of these vessels that looked like a baby and took care of it.
Kotori: I see where you're getting at, so you propose that it's possible that this remaining "vessel" is the one pulling the strings?
Atsuo: Yes.
Sachi: Hold on! How would it know about it being a vessel if it was raised by a normal family?
Kotori: Since it was made from the blood of lucifer, it could be possible it could have been something like instinct. But it's hard to tell.
Atsuo: It's all we got, but I'm convinced that this person and this possible vessel is the same person.
Kotori: Hm... Maybe that human in the mural is the vessel? Man we don't have much information but I think Papa's theory is a good one.
Miku: So what now?
Kotori: Now? I'll keep all of these information for the time being and I'll try to connect them with other clues we've all found, next I'll be investigating all of the families that lived nearby Osaka 16 years ago, as well as the base and other things as well. If Papa's vessel theory is correct, then this vessel is definitely still running out there freely and is waiting for an opportunity to attack Kaneki-chan.
Everyone: ...
Kotori: For now our meeting is dismissed, well then I'll notify the council and world government to prepare for the worst.
And so their meeting had ended.
Miku: Man that's a lot to take in.
Shino: No kidding. And a vessel of lucifer himself being involved? That's absurd.
Yuuka: Well it's possible, there's no way anybody would abandon a baby in the middle of the forest.
Sachi: Yikes... If it really was a vessel, then maybe it was manipulating you guys.
Chikao: Agreed. We don't know much about this possible "vessel" so it's possible.
Azusa: Yeah and the world ending as well? This is so much.
Kotori: By the way. Girls, cousins, Papa and Aiya-Mama just so we don't cause any panic I suggest don't tell anyone about what you heard here for the time being.
Everyone: Got it!
While everyone was talking to each other regarding everything they currently know.
Natsuki's thoughts*
(Osaka?)
Natsuki was thinking about Osaka.
(My family used to live there, until his family started pursuing us)
Because her family used to live in Osaka, some unpleasant memories about Ryueki returned.
But as she was remembering.
"Please... We can't have children, you're the only one we have..."
(Wait...)
Natsuki remembered the scene where Ryueki's parents saved him from Kaneki's wrath.
(He is a year older than me, and our families used to live in Osaka before my family moved and they followed)
"Please... We can't have children, you're the only one we have..."
(On that day, they said "we can't have children, you're the only one we have".)
Just then she had a thought.
(Could this vessel be...)
She thought that this vessel could be-
Meanwhile~
Ryueki: There! I found enough of your blood, so I'll only need to consume them right?
"Yes that's right. Once you do you'll have to wait until our souls merge into one"
Ryueki: Hehehe...
"Hahaha! Are you feeling excited?! My dear vessel?"