In Another Life

Chapter 12

Y/N's POV

I reach out, tugging Kaneki's jacket closed before I button it up. Kneeling in front of him, his eyes remain on mine.

"Why can't I go?"

My lips form into a hard line, biting down on my tongue as I secure the last button to his jacket.

"Because mommy has to go talk to her bosses and where I have to go doesn't allow children."

Kaneki's expression drops as his hands fist at his sides, looking away from me and to the ground.

"I want to go with you."

He stomps his foot as he speaks, eyebrows thinning into a hard line.

I bite on my lip, shaking my head. He resembled his father so much it was scary. I would never be able to bring him around the Scouts without someone knowing right away. Kaneki was Levi's son.

Wrapping my hand around the back of his head, I bring his forehead to my lips. Kissing it gently, I hug his small figure.

"I will only be gone for a few hours."

I hear Michealson's footsteps behind me before they come to a stop a few steps away.

Kaneki looks up and past my shoulder before he looks back down to me.

"Michealson is going to watch over you while I am away. He's one of my friends, so you can trust him."

Kaneki looks past me one more time before he meets my gaze, giving me a simple nod before resting his head on my shoulder in a hug.

After a minute, Kaneki lets go of me, stepping back and allowing me to stand and face Michaelson.

"They are going to try to pull you back to the Scouts; you have skated under their radar this long. Once they hear of this, Erwin will have no choice but to pull rank. It's that or..."

His eyes flash to mine before they drop, reading my expression.

I didn't want to hear anything; I just wanted to get this over with.

Walking past him, I grab a hold of my long green Garrison jacket. Securing the buttons closed, I fix the collar before running my hands down the front.

"Keep him close but away from the entrance or the main halls. There will be plenty of high military personnel there. I don't want him getting in the way."

Swallowing, I narrowed my eyes at Michaelson from where he stood between me and Kaneki. That was the furthest thing from the truth. With my charges... Michealson was right. Erwin would most likely be pulled in and notified... Which meant...

I swallow once more.

He might actually be here today.

I breathe in, clearing my mind as I pull the front door open to our home.

Pixis sits across from me, Niel beside him as I hold my hands out flat on the table.

"I told both of you. Obren had been shot; Adams had taken not one but two rounds to the leg. The cart we were held up against was being chipped away by each passing second-"

The door opens behind me as I continue to speak.

"The intel you gave was wrong. That's on your inside sources, not me. The handful of rifles that had been stolen had actually been explosives and semi-automatics with extended magazines. I did what was absolutely necessary to protect my men. My job is to fulfill my mission and to ensure that all of my men make it out alive, and that's just what I did."