Touka was six months pregnant when her final string reappeared. To be honest, she didn't know what to think of it.

She knew it won't be Kaneki again as he had already cut off- no, pierced his final string in front of her.

So her soulmate would be someone else. Someone nearby, as she was in her house when the string reappeared.

Someone who had just moved in, or, someone who had just visited the 16th ward.

She couldn't help but wonder…

If he saw her huge stomach, would he be repulsed by it?

Would he cut the string the moment he saw her?

Or would he stay and take care of the child that wasn't even his own?

She laughed, bitterly.

He will never accept this child.

She decided to stay in her apartment, not going out even once to avoid meeting her soulmate until the baby was born.

Yomo and Ayato were kind enough to help her with groceries, but Yomo suggested her to stay with him as it was too dangerous for a single pregnant woman to live and take care of herself alone.

She informed him that she would move out when she reached seven months of pregnancy.

So for just another one month, she would stay in her own apartment, alone.

Back then, when she told Kaneki that she wouldn't be happy if it wasn't him, it was true.

She didn't think her soulmate would make her happy. But then again, all Kaneki ever gave her was pain. And a child that gave her even more pain in the ass to keep it alive. Those were the harsh truth.

But she would do anything, anything to keep their child safe. Even if she had to sacrifice her health, she would do it without question as long as the baby survived.

She wondered if her mother felt the same way when she was carrying her and Ayato. Did her mother get full support from her father? She must've.

She bit her lower lip.

She was alone the whole time. Kaneki didn't even know. He didn't even care. He just wanted to die in style, leaving everything behind.

Leaving the people who loved him behind.

Leaving his own child behind.

She didn't tell him about their child because she didn't want him to stay because he had to, she wanted to see him doing something because he wanted to.

Apparently, love- or red string wasn't strong enough to make him stay.

In the end, he still chose death.

Touka sighed heavily.

There was no use in thinking about a ghost.

Ayato told her that Kaneki escaped safely from Cochlea. But he didn't want to meet her because it was pointless.

Because they were no longer soulmates.

And meeting her would only bring more pain to both sides.

So he did the only thing that he was good at.

Avoiding her.

A kick in her belly broke her train of thoughts, she smiled softly while caressing her tummy.

"Let's read a book, okay?" She rested on the couch, reading a book entitled Pinocchio out loud as if to let the unborn child hear her words.

By the time she finished reading it, tiredness washed over her- she yawned and eventually drifted into a deep slumber.

The sound of her apartment's doorbell woke her up, but her mind was fully awake when she felt the red string tugged her finger and formed into a straight line towards the door.

What?

A slight sense of panic started to creep up on her. She never expected her soulmate to know where she lived, but she had no other choice anyway.

"Yes, coming!" She grabbed the nearest jacket she could find, hoping it would cover her protruding belly.

As she walked towards the door, she noticed that her string was getting shorter and shorter.

Her heart raced with adrenaline, so much that she felt as if it might explode any moment.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

She was going to meet him.

Her final soulmate.

Calm down, my heart.

She closed her eyes- taking a deep, calming breath to steady herself.

When she finally opened the door, her heart stopped for a split second- her violet eyes couldn't get any wider.

He stood there.

The father of her child. Or, their child- to be précised.

Kaneki's gaze was glued to the ground, he didn't even look up to meet her eyes.

He couldn't.

Not after what he had done to her.

All the pain he had caused her.

Shame. Guilt. Yearning.

These emotions swirled around in his heart, causing him to keep on staring at the ground.

Trembling, his knees sank to the floor, his head hung low in shame.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He muttered as many times as he could to seek forgiveness. He sounded so pathetic, he knew- and he knew that she knew, but what else could he do?

She didn't say anything as she stepped outside, pulling him towards her, letting his head rest against her stomach. Kaneki pulled away reflexively as he felt the huge bump.

His face looked up towards it, his jaw dropped- his eyes widened in sheer surprise- guilt and joy overwhelmed him and he couldn't stop the tears from accumulating in his eyes.

"I'm pregnant, idiot Kaneki." She said, almost whispering.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Kaneki was sitting on the couch, and she just came back from the kitchen, bringing two cups of black coffee.

He was obviously referring to their unborn child.

"Would it make any difference?" She placed the cups on the dining table.

"Of course it would."

"See? That's why I didn't tell you." Sighing, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Because if I did, then you'll just want to live for the sake of our child. I want you to be selfish for once, Kaneki. Don't live for others. Live for yourself."

"But I do want to live on. And, protect you. And our child of course."

She sat beside him on the couch.

"Really? Because you looked like you wanted to die when you cut our string off back then." She replied with hints of bitterness and sarcasm in her voice.

He gulped. She was right. She could always see through him no matter how much he wanted to hide from her. How lucky he was, to have a soulmate who could understand him and knew what was inside his mind. He always had difficulties voicing out his feelings, his emotions. But with Touka, it seemed like he didn't have to go through all that.

"You… You were right, Touka-chan. I was planning to be the sacrificial pawn. I- I wanted to die in style." He paused, then stared deep into her violet eyes. Slowly, his grey ones filled with determination. "But that was four months ago. I- I don't want to die anymore."

"Why?"

"Arima-san told me that every human life is precious, and I shouldn't waste mine. But he- he risked his life for me." He sounded in pain now, his jaw clenched tightly as he remembered the day he found out about Arima's death.

"What do you mean?"

"He was killed- because he allowed me to escape. He- he's like a father to me." His tears fell like rain from his eyes, his body quaked with sobs. Touka quickly pulled him against her chest, running fingers through his white hair as she tried to comfort him.

"Sorry to hear that…" She whispered, planting a kiss on top of his head and waited until he calmed down.

She missed this nostalgic moment. Haise loved to snuggle into her chest whenever he was having a bad day, it was as if her warmth and presence were enough to soothe him. Not to mention he always stayed in that position longer than necessary because of his fondness for her breasts, and she always yelled at him for taking advantage of her.

But today, she didn't mind the long moment. She didn't mind if he stayed longer than necessary. He was mourning for his father figure, he should get all the time he wanted. Also, she missed him. He had left her alone for too long. Now that they were soulmates again, she wanted him back in her life.

But would he stay? Even if he did, would it be because of their child, or because he wanted to?

Unable to find the answer, she rested her head on top of his- feeling more comfortable. She then closed her eyes- savoring the serene moment between them.

When Kaneki pulled away, his cheeks were slightly red. He must've remembered his days as Haise too.

"Thank you, Touka-chan." He muttered as his hands took hers, his thumbs running over the back of her hands tenderly.

"Mm. What did you do after you escaped? I know that your face was on the news as a wanted criminal- but…"

"I… I didn't have the courage to meet you." His eyes were downcast, guilt reappeared on his face. "We weren't soulmates anymore, meeting you would just hurt us more."

"Then why are you here?"

"I arrived in the 16th ward last week to buy a limited edition book in the nearby bookstore, but I was surprised to see my red string reappearing. I mean, this is my fourth string. It's impossible, no matter how I think about it. But I had a hunch that it'll be you again." She was staring and listening to him in full concentration that he had the courage to look into her eyes again.

"So I went to Re when I finally have the courage to, which is today. By the time I opened the door, I was extremely disappointed when I couldn't see the end of my string. I thought my fourth soulmate wasn't you." He pressed his lips together. "So I left without even going inside. Luckily I bumped into Nishiki, he told me you're having a few months break. So I came here just to confirm my assumption. And I was correct."

His hand raised, caressing her cheek lovingly as he smiled at her, and she leaned into his touch- her eyes closed momentarily as she smiled back at him.

She let out a soft sigh before responding to his explanation.

"To be honest, I'm surprised. I was pretty sure my soulmate would be someone else. And I was… scared too. What if he couldn't accept the fact that I have a child with my previous soulmate? So I was planning to stay hidden until the baby was born, so that I won't meet him when my tummy is this huge." He squeezed her hand tightly, as if telling her, 'I'm here now.' She intertwined their fingers together in response.

After a brief peaceful moment of silence, Kaneki's face turned serious. He held both of her hands in his, gulped down his saliva before his grey orbs focused intently on her violet ones.

"Touka-chan, I've hurt you a lot. I don't think you can ever forgive me." He paused, inhaling and exhaling a deep breath before continuing. "But this time, can I stay? I promise, I won't leave you ever again. I want us to be together. All three of us." His jaw clenched so tightly, as if he couldn't calm himself down before getting the answer from her.

"Silly Kaneki. Of course you can stay. Just, don't break your promises ever again. It hurts like hell." She bit her lip, trying not to remember the nights she spent crying because of what he had done to her. He left her not once, but twice, it would be a stupid decision to give him a third chance.

But she knew he would stay this time. Not just for their child's sake, but because he wanted to as well.

"I promise. Thank you, Touka-chan."

She nodded, and he wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her, holding her tightly, never wanting to let her go ever again. He pulled away slightly to plant his lips on her forehead.

Trembling, he placed his left hand on her stomach. His heart was filled with warmth as he felt a life- their child's life was growing inside her.

"When is it due?"

"December." His eyes widened in realization that she went through this pregnancy for a couple of months all by herself.

"I'm sorry- I wasn't there with you- I should have stayed with you-"

"Shh." She placed a finger on his lips. "It's alright. You're here now, that's what matters."

"I'm sorry… I promise, I'll make you happy this time."

"Mm."

He leaned down and pressed his lips onto her stomach gently before capturing her lips in a slow, romantic kiss.

This time, he kept his promises.

Why Kaneki was able to have his fourth string, Touka was still unable to find the answer.

She realized that the myth was wrong as they were assigned together three times too.

Maybe their connection was so strong, that even the fate was breaking the rules just to keep them together.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Their lips locked in the gentlest, sweetest way possible- filled with undeniable love. When they parted, he gave her a loving smile before whispering how much he loved her, and promised that he would never leave her ever again, even if he died.

She chuckled before saying 'idiot' while pinching his cheek.

A genuine smile blooming on her face as she stared at the red string on her pinky finger which led to her soulmate, her husband, and the father of their child. Maybe we're meant to be together, after all.

"Explain this, Cupid Arima Kishou."

Eto threw the updated document on her desk, Arima's eyes didn't even follow the position of the document as he already knew the content of it.

Kaneki Ken. 23 years old. xxxo.

x – Kamishiro Rize

x – Kirishima Touka

x – Kirishima Touka

o – Kirishima Touka

"They still love each other." He stated bluntly, his eyes betrayed nothing.

"So do other couples. Takizawa Seidou and Mado Akira loved each other too but you assigned both of them to someone else after they cut their string off. Why did you make an exception for this couple?"

"I-"

"You felt guilty, didn't you?" She interrupted, half-smirking at him.

If she didn't see the bobbing on his Adam's Apple, she wouldn't have known he was gulping his saliva down.

"Yes. It was because of me that he got turned into a half-ghoul and lived this kind of life. He experienced nothing but suffering ever since I assigned his string to Kamishiro Rize."

"And you love him." She laced her fingers together, propped her elbows up on her desk, then rested her chin on her fingers.

"…Yes, I do."

"Aw. My crush says he loves another guy. I'm jealous."

"… I didn't mean it that way, Eto." She giggled at seeing his slightly annoyed expression.

"I know, I was just teasing you."

"I love him as if he's my own son. I know that it's better for them to be together, so that their child will have a complete family."

"So you broke the rules just for him?" Eto's face turned serious out of sudden, she was in full Grim Reaper mode now.

"Yes."

"Are you not aware of the consequences? You didn't break just one rule, but two. Firstly, you assigned the string to the same couple thrice. Thrice, Kishou! Secondly, you assigned the string for Kaneki Ken more than 3 times. I'm afraid the punishment will be severe for you." Her eyes glaring in disbelief at her subordinate.

"I am aware of the consequences, and I accept it."

Eto laid her head back against the chair, staring at the ceiling and sighed heavily.

"I turned a blind eye when you assigned his third string to Kirishima Touka… but this is too much. The higher ups will kill me if I didn't do anything to you."

"I understand."

"And I really liked you as a cupid too… you fulfilled my wish of Kirishima Ayato and Fueguchi Hinami to be together." She sighed, pouting slightly. "Too bad I have to penalize you."

No words came out of Arima's mouth. He wasn't even a talkative man to begin with.

"Then, as the rules & regulations stated, you will no longer be a human and a cupid. I will take away your privileges, and you'll become a Grim Reaper from this point onwards. For your second punishment, as a Grim Reaper, you will be the one to take the lives of Kaneki Ken and Kirishima Touka."

What?

He was clearly taken aback by her words, she smirked knowingly at him.

"Are you not accepting the tasks that have been assigned to you? I need to report this to the higher-ups, you know."

A million thoughts running through his mind. He was well aware that he would be punished, but he didn't expect it to be awfully cruel. Nonetheless, he had no other choice but to accept the fate that was assigned to him.

"…I accept. When- when will their lives end?"

"Why don't you see it for yourself?" She opened her drawer and took out two envelopes, placing them on her desk.

He picked them up, both have Kaneki Ken and Kirishima Touka names embedded on it. He wasted no time in opening them but took his time to read the contents carefully.

Even his usual stoic expression faltered while reading the description of their deaths.

You're a cruel one, Eto.

Five years. They had five years left to live before their deaths approached them.

Well, at least- they'll die together, in each other's arms.

-The End-

Extra:

"Do you want me to ask the higher-ups? To make Kaneki Ken and Kirishima Touka live much longer?"

Arima didn't say anything, but by the look he had given her, she could tell that he was definitely interested.

"Don't underestimate my position, Kishou. I will do it, but on one condition."

"Which is…?"

She pulled his tie towards her until their noses almost touched each other, her gaze lingered briefly on his parted lips before staring back into his eyes.

"Be my boyfriend."

Thanks for reading! So basically Arima was a human and a cupid at the same time, working under Eto, a Grim Reaper who is also his superior. The envelope idea was taken from Goblin, a Korean drama series (highly recommended). It's up to you to interpret Arima's answer at the end of this fic. A sequel will come soon, a series of Touken soulmate reincarnations and each chapter will have a different persona of Kaneki. Anyways, appreciate if you could tell your thoughts on this fic! Thanks :)