Chapter V: Cursed

Matsuri was surprised to see Iyo. The woman claimed that Furuta never maimed anyone who came from the garden and in fact he alerted them of V's plan to annihilate everyone from the Washuu clan, hid them later on to a place wherein V won't be able to see them. The couple had decided to live separately till Iyo found a man who loves her with all his heart. Matsuri without thinking twice signed the documents that will annul their marriage. Iyo thank him in return and she left with her new husband with a promise that they'll visit again someday.

"Ah it is so quiet today" Matsuri stared at the sky.

"You are in a cemetery after all" Marude had decided to visit Yoshitoki's grave.

"Is that for my father?"

"Yes so where did they bury that brat Furuta?" He asked.

"There" Matsuri pointed at the grave near a tree. "His mother was buried on that tree so I heard from my grandfather. I also made sure Rize's grave will be next to his and Arima's"

"I see. Yusa and Jin Li are they living with you?"

"Yes since they are my half-siblings too and I need their help to find a way to cure the demi-humans. Apparently, Furuta left important files for me to dig in. I would have asked for his help if he is alive knowing he already read them and he was Kanou's partner in crime. Alas, he faded before I can even ask anything"

"You changed a lot after your uncle kicked you out the Washuu hierarchy"

"I wonder if Papa is with them now."

"Probably"

"They must be living in peace now"

"I believed they deserved it after all the things V did to you and your family, I guess they need a break"

"Special Class Marude… Special Class Washuu—" Kaneki greeted the two men. He along with Touka came to bring flowers also to visit Eto, Rize, Kishou and Nimura's graves.

"It's Suzuki" Matsuri corrected.

"Ah my bad—"

"Isn't that a lot?" Marude commented upon seeing the flowers on their hands.

"Not really" Touka said from where she is standing. She put the flowers to each grave and she whispered her prayers.

"How's Yusa?" Kaneki asked Matsuri.

"He's busy with helping out in cleaning the orphaned dragon children"

"He must be upset with that brat Furuta for dying without settling their dispute" Marude snorted.

"Everyone wants to hit Souta for what he did even Jin Li" Matsuri rolled his eyes upon hearing a familiar voice behind them. They turned around to see Yusa and Jin Li. Flowers on their hands.

"He's lucky he died before I can break his bones" Hsiao muttered. She stood beside Touka and she put the flowers on their relatives' graves.

"I told you that you should not talk like that about your bratty uncle no matter how annoying he was" Marude scolded the duo.

"We found Kanou's medical entries on Furuta's things. I am sure he purposely left it there. They were trying to untangle the Washuu genealogy to find a cure too but their time run out before they can finish their research. Furuta was dying that time"

"He's a walking corpse" Marude sighed. They discovered from Kimi that Nimura Furuta's aging was never cured even after the Kanou operation. Worst, the operation hasten his death at a fearful stage.

"Nimura won't last long anyway. He's 25 and he'll experience extreme pain as he aged. Demi-humans were—" Matsuri shut his mouth upon realizing that Yusa had another keychain from a noddle brand which means they ate cup noodles again instead of decent food. "We should get some groceries after this. I don't want the two of you eating cup noodles"

"We don't have time to cook and the freebies from that brand are too cute to resist—" Yusa argued.

"You suck at cooking too" Jin Li muttered.

"…" Matsuri groaned.

"I can cook for you" Marude volunteered. "Anyway our apartment is next to each other"

"You can cook?" Matsuri eyed the older man.

"Who do you think gave that brat Suzuya the pasta he ate a week ago?"

"Suzuya said your food was really delicious" Kaneki remembered Juuzou boasting about the pasta he ate a week ago.

"You should stay with us anyway our brother lik—" Yusa was muffled before he can even say something else.

"For us to have this kind of peace, a lot of good people sacrificed their lives" Touka stared at the countless graves in front of them. She lost count how many people had to sacrifice their happiness and life for the sake of obtaining real peace.

"That is why we have to do our best to maintain peace. Anyway, how's your pregnancy Touka-san?" Jin Li asked the woman beside her. They stared at the graves in front of them.

"I am having a hard time at times but nevertheless Kaneki is there to help me out. I heard you are not feeling well as well"

"Ah. I am reaching the age where demi-humans can feel extremely sick. Kimi-san told me that it'll be normal. All I have to do is to lessen my activities and to take strong pain killers twice a day. She gave me the ones that Furuta was using on his own body while he was still alive. I have to admit those things are not fun to inject but they are very helpful. Kimi-san said they had a hard time injecting those on that wimp. He hates syringe even when he was a child. However, I will never lie that I hate the needle they used too."

"I met Furuta-san once when he was younger at Kamii University. I mistook him for being Kaneki. I was so embarrassed that time but he was so kind and instead of laughing at my stupidity, he helped me out."

"Kamii? Ah he might be checking on Kaneki Ken that time. Tch I hate that bastard because he did not help Hairu-neesan when she was in danger. He could have save her because he is stronger than her, a genius like Arima Kishou but—"

"But?"

"I think he wants to spare Hairu-neesan the pain of living while rotting slowly, he was older than her so he knew how painful it is. I won't actually understand it until I experienced the curse itself. Hairu-neesan and Souta-nissan died while experiencing the curse of being a Washuu demi-human like Kishou-niisan. It is so horrible to rot slowly. Yusa will soon experience it too. I hope they'll find cure before he reach this age"

"I am somewhat jealous. You were so strong and you never let pain to waste your time not to mention the ties you had towards each other even though you are different from one another"

"We have to enjoy whatever time we have at least that was our positive mutual ground and the garden is like a home for every one of us" Jin Li smiled.

"I see—"

"I heard from Yusa that your coffee taste nice. If that is not too much to ask, may I have a cup? Yusa and I will visit within this week with the rest of the Quinx"

"I will ask Yoriko to bake some cakes too for your coffee" Touka smiled back.

"Jin Li! Matsuri doesn't want to admit he likes Marude-san" Yusa whined.

"Yusa"

"I really hate him when he is too defensive. Muffling me with his filthy hands"

"Geez you two need to bond more because you will live with him alone once I am gone"

"We'll find the cure! You won't die!" Yusa stomped his foot. "I won't allow you to leave me too like everyone from the garden!"

"Yusa—"

"Furuta left his and Kanou's notes for us to see! I am sure Kimi-san will find a way to decode those things because she was working for them and then we'll be cured. No one will die. Furuta's plans always work so I know this too will work. I don't want to be alone—" Yusa wiped his eyes, tears trickled down his cheeks. He hates the idea of another demi-human dying without him doing something. Hairu, Kishou, Shio, Rikai and even Nimura were taken away from them. All he could do was to watch them fading to nothingness. Yusa can always see how Arima Kishou was trying to stay emotionless even when he barely can stand because of the pain he experienced that time. He also found out that Hairu was starting to experience the rotting so she had to drink painkillers behind their back but she died during the Tsukiyama raid. They blamed Furuta but deep inside they knew that Nimura just want to spare Hairu of the hellish curse that the Washuu blood brought upon them. Nimura too was rotting and yet no one paid heed to him except for Kishou and then when the reaper died, Nimura played the role of an evil king while the pain is driving him crazy.

Yusa doesn't want to believe what Kaneki said. He won't forgive Nimura but Jin Li and Matsuri forced him to attend the traitor's funeral ceremony. When they buried the dead bodies, he went back without saying anything. He heard voices. He walked towards it.

"Ummm… I— I" The woman reluctantly accepted the box that the busty clown gave her. Another boxes were on the table.

"Souta wants you to decode those. He doesn't have the time and energy to finish it" The tattooed ghoul muttered while drinking a cup of coffee and sitting leisurely into the table.

"He said you have to find out the cure before Jin Li Hsiao and Yusa Arima can reach their rotting age. Yusa Arima and Jin Li Hsiao must survive. It's our little Sou-chan's wish" The flamboyant ghoul named Nico narrowed his eyes at Kimi. "Also give Jin Li-chan the same painkillers you and Kanou gave him. Convince the young princess to take that instead of what Arima Kishou and Ihei Hairu were taking while they were still alive"

"Understood" The researcher agreed to Furuta's entire whims. The only thing she can do for the man. She stayed with them and saw how Furuta barely hold his sanity because of how the pain drives him crazy. Kanou always had to extend his patience to his patient and partner-in-crime. Kanou later on killed himself. She doesn't know why but perhaps he had enough of not being able to do anything for those he cared. Furuta followed afterwards. The man died after he fought Kaneki. Kimi realized how she missed those times wherein Furuta and Kanou will tease her about Nishiki while having a coffee break from their work.

The clowns then stared at the empty doorway. They eyed each other as if convincing each other who need to drag the young prince inside. Itori elbowed Uta and the man grunted but he went out. Before Yusa can leave, he was carried like a sack of rice by the man. Yusa muttered how uncomfortable it is to be carried and place into the ghoul's shoulder. The next thing he knows is that he was placed in a chair.

"Did they not teach you that peeping is bad" Itori waggle her fingers in front of Yusa's face.

"I was just passing by and what do you mean give Jin Li the same painkillers that Furuta was taking? He was a one-eyed ghoul or at least he turned himself into one and halting his aging" Yusa glared at them

"No" Kimi said. "Furuta-kun's body was still rotting and it worsen after Kanou's operation"

"Liar. I saw him. He doesn't look like he was in pain at all. I saw the mockery on his eyes when he saw me. He killed Hairu, Shio and Rikai!"

"Did you ever think that maybe he just wants to spare them from the pain that the curse of the Washuu brought upon you?" Itori suggested "Also he always looked like he was mocking even if he isn't. It was like a defense mechanism he developed during his days in V"

"You want me to believe you too, Liar"

"…" Kimi slammed the documents into the table and she opened it for Yusa to see. Documents and medical records of Ihei Hairu, Arima Kishou and lastly Furuta Nimura's. Each of them stated the sickness they all acquired upon reaching the age of 20. Arima had experienced almost everything at the age of 33. Hairu's vision is starting to blur and her body is rotting at the age of 20. Nimura's records are no better if not he experienced worst because of the operation he undergo.

"He made himself a prototype of demi-human with artificial kakuhou to see if the Kanou operation will help you all but it did not. The effects were worst. Furuta-kun's left eye started to become useless and he rotted at a fearful speed. Dragon became his last choice to study the genealogy of the Washuu clan. I know— I saw him. I saw everyday how he is fighting the rotting of his own body. It affected him psychologically and no one is there for him to comfort him and say that everything will be fine" Kimi revealed.

"…" Yusa stared at them.

"He meant no harm Little Yusa. Twisted as he was, no one can blame him because he grew up without a concrete idea of how to be a good person. V shaped him to be the way he was." Nico chuckled.

"You should be nice and take this to Matsuri" Uta gave him a box full of records of the Washuu clan. "Tell him to read this and help Kimi-san here as per order of your uncle. According to his last will and testament the Washuu inheritance will be divided on you, Iyo, Jin Li and Matsuri. We've taken over a few of his businesses as part of our inheritance. Here is the will and testament." He waved the paper on Yusa's face. "Apparently Donato's part will go to Amon Koutarou and Roma's will be divided to the three of us aside from the things he gave us of course. Kaneki Ken will also receive a small amount of money that is enough to give him a new coffee shop"

"I don't want you to die Jin Li" Yusa admitted. "I wish everyone is still alive so they can also experience this freedom we have now. I missed playing Kagome Kagome with everyone"

"Right we used to play that during our yearly parties even Arima and Furuta played with us" Jin Li pat Yusa's head