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The moment he saw him, he just had a feeling.

It had been a night of celebration for the Chocobo Knights. In the grand scheme of things, their victory against a nest of Sin spawn would mean little compared to the much larger threat of Sin itself, but they had succeeded in protecting Djose Temple. For that, the people who lived in the surrounding village were grateful and more than willing to show them their thanks. Yet, even following a victory, Tsukiyama found it difficult to rejoice with his fellow knights. What he desired was an even greater victory. Until they were able to defeat Sin, he wasn't sure he would be able to feel at ease.

Quietly withdrawing from their revelry, he led his Chocobo on foot and wandered into the night, moving along the path between the village and the temple. His friends' cheerful hollering could be heard even as far as the Highroad. As they began to diminish into the distance behind him, he started following the sounds from up ahead, coming from the temple. The acolytes didn't dare to leave their temple, but even they were celebrating the victory; dancing, offering prayers, thanking Yevon.

He recalled bitterly thinking to himself that he and the knights were the ones who deserved all their praise. Though a believer himself, Tsukiyama believed more in his own capabilities as the captain of the southern chapter of the Chocobo Knights. Yevon wasn't the one saving them from Sin.

It was with that bitter thought on his mind that he laid eyes upon him; a young man in summoner's robes. He had a very slight presence, keeping to himself away from the rest who were busy rejoicing, but Tsukiyama's eyes were drawn to him by the way the moonlight shone against his pearl white hair. He looked beautiful, yet so... forlorn. Without even having to ask, he knew that he shared the same sort of bitterness.

In a time of such festivity, Tsukiyama found it unusual that he would not be surrounded by his guardians, so he approached him slowly with his Chocobo behind, looking around to see whether they were nearby.

That was the first thing he asked him. He didn't even introduce himself. Instead, he simply asked whether he had any guardians, to which the young man replied that he did not. He didn't look up at him. With his head down, he remained where he sat on the temple steps, absorbed in himself. Needless to say, that sort of cold manner was unexpected from a summoner. Part of him realized that he wouldn't have accepted that attitude from any other summoner, yet Tsukiyama found himself coming to sit beside him, sharing in his silence.

For a while, he watched the bonfire they made in front of the temple, watched as the people danced around it, counted the many times they bowed in prayer. Preoccupied with no particular thought, he hadn't realized for how long the one beside him had been looking at him, but, once he was caught, the young summoner looked away again.

'You want it too, don't you?' he had asked him. 'A greater reward.'

At the time, Tsukiyama didn't know what that reward would be. He just knew that he wanted something more. Defeating Sin... That seemed to be the way to achieve that goal; the thing that would fulfill him. It was the job of a summoner, but it was also what the Chocobo Knights sought to accomplish as well.

Without waiting for his response, he introduced himself as the captain of the Chocobo Knights, and he asked him if he could be his guardian.

It had been Tsukiyama's exceptional experience with the sword that had earned him his position. Although his lineage would have been enough to propel him immediately to whatever position he desired, he chose to believe that it was by his own merit that he made captain. For the first time in his life, he withheld his family name and introduced himself with only his first name, hoping that the summoner would accept him for his skill and ambition alone.

The summoner had stood, curling his hands in the long sleeves that hung below his wrists. Tsukiyama's chocobo warked and stood at the ready. The summoner hadn't even said whether he accepted his proposal yet, and his chocobo already seemed to accept him as a traveling companion. It was a mysterious thing, but summoners were just that way, he figured.

Barely loud enough for Tsukiyama to hear over the cheering of the people and the roar of the bonfire, he gave him his answer.

'Take me away from here,' he said.

With that, the summoner collapsed before he had even told Tsukiyama his name. His chocobo immediately went into a panic, but Tsukiyama remained calm as he knelt and lifted him from the ground. His forehead was damp with sweat, his breath ragged. Before he and the knights had arrived to take care of the Sin spawn, the summoner must have been in the temple, communicating with the Fayth, obtaining the Aeon of Djose. It must have been difficult for him to complete the temple's trials without a guardian to assist him.

Holding his small body in his arms, he felt the weight of his new duty, but he also felt a certain sense of excitement. This summoner would be the one to help him achieve his goal. At the completion of their pilgrimage, he had no intention of dying. He would help this beautiful summoner reach his full potential. Then, together, they would defeat Sin for good. They would do the impossible, and he would return as the first guardian to vanquish Sin and return alive to tell the story of his bravery.

Indeed, that was what he told himself...

He wished that he could take him away that night, but he did what was best for his summoner. Telling his chocobo to wait for him, he took him back into the temple to rest. The priest inside was rather surprised to hear that the summoner now had a guardian, but Tsukiyama acted as though it were only natural. Taking him to one of the side chambers, he laid him on the bed there, then sat down on the floor beside him. Threading his fingers together over his stomach, he fell asleep, feeling satisfied that he had acquired a prize for his victory that day after all.

When he awoke, the summoner was gone. He wasn't in the chamber with him and he wasn't in the temple hall. Pushing open the temple doors, he found him waiting outside, already seated on his chocolate-brown chocobo, and, in front of them, the rest of the Chocobo Knights waited as well.

It wasn't difficult for him to tell them of his plans when the summoner had already apparently told them everything. Of course, it was difficult for them to accept, but when the 'will of Yevon' was used as an excuse, it didn't take long before they were forgiving him for his quick decision.

And that was that. Taking a glance at the summoner, he got on the chocobo behind him and reached around to take the reins. Promising that he would send word of his travels and advise from afar if needed, he left his squad in the care of his second-in-command. He leaned his weight forward and his chocobo began to move. Slowly, the sight of Djose temple retreated behind them.

Once they reached the Highroad, the summoner finally gave him his name.

Kaneki.

A fair distance away by that point, Kaneki ordered him to stop. They got off the chocobo, and Kaneki did the unexpected.

He reeled back and punched him right in the face.

He tried, he said.

That day, when the Sin spawn invaded the area surrounding the temple, he finally made up his mind to test himself in the temple. Finally, he was going to receive the Aeon and become Djose's pride. Yet, because of the attack – because the Chocobo Knights had arrived to calm the threat – his efforts had gone unnoticed.

All at once, his frustration came pouring out and Tsukiyama allowed him to hit him again and again, as many times as it took until his inner pain had been released. Although he had taken quite a beating, it was Kaneki who fell to his knees. Putting his face in his hands, he begged him to forgive him and ignore the things that he had said, saying that, as a summoner, it wasn't right for him to reveal his emotions in such a way.

But Tsukiyama had been glad. Experiencing his outburst, he felt more confident in the decision that he'd made. This summoner was someone unique. He was different from the rest. Though still a little weak, Kaneki believed more in his own strength than in Yevon. That sounded unheard of, yet he had been granted the Aeon. Tsukiyama knew that he may never know what he said in his prayers to the Fayth to convince them to allow him their power, but it must have been enough. Perhaps, he thought, they may have even been as impressed with him as he was.

Tsukiyama made him take back his apology and told him to take pride in his feelings. After all, he was the summoner he was willing to relinquish his position for.

After that, they rode together, leaving behind the small village where Kaneki had lived without receiving any fanfare to send them on their journey.

Kaneki preferred to ride while sitting in front of him, which Tsukiyama found a little strange at first, but ultimately didn't mind. As his guardian, it seemed right for him to wrap an arm around his waist, to hold him close to protect him as they swiftly forged ahead, leaving fiends in their dust. Kaneki never pushed him away, until, one time, he put his hands over the ones that held the reins and ordered them to stop. Without even needing to give the order to his chocobo, it stopped at Kaneki's word.

It was early in their journey. They were only just making their way to Kilika Temple when Kaneki made them stop along the Mi'ihen Highroad. After passing many fiends along the coast, he had finally had enough. Though the foes along the Mi'ihen Highroad were dangerous for a summoner with only one Aeon, Kaneki wished to fight.

He had no interest in vanquishing them in order to send their spirits. He simply wished to fight to become stronger.

Tsukiyama admired that, but a part of him wondered what it was that drove him. Dismounting, he kept his distance from Kaneki, but kept his hand near his hip, ready to draw his sword if necessary. First, he wished to experience Kaneki's style of fighting, to see what sort of summoner he truly was.

Elegantly twirling his staff, he invoked the Fayth of Djose and called forth his only Aeon; the lightening Aeon, Ixion. It stamped the ground, the sound of thunder bursting beneath its hooves. With focused eyes, Kaneki ordered it to attack the large fiend they had come upon.

Perhaps he had still been too weak. Perhaps his summoning wasn't strong enough.

The fiend was too slow to dodge Ixion's strike, but, with one heavy swing of its head, it drove its two large horns into its body, destroying the Aeon, dispersing the pireflies that came together to give it its shape. It had been gravely injured, yet the fiend still had enough fight left in it to take a charge toward Kaneki. At once, something raw and protective rose up inside of Tsukiyama when he saw him in danger. It was a moment unlike anything he had experienced while serving with the knights.

He skewered the beast's head upon his sword. Before he even withdrew, the fiend vanished into the pireflies' grim and beautiful dance of lights.

Wordlessly, Kaneki returned to the chocobo. With his only Aeon defeated, he was left unable to battle. He didn't say it, but Tsukiyama could see his severe disappointment. After giving everything to acquire it, after receiving no recognition for his effort, everything had been in vein anyway. The Aeon he worked so hard for wasn't even strong enough to take on one fiend, and he was left with no choice but to believe that it was because he was lacking something as a summoner.

They road almost entirely in silence until they neared the city of Luca. Tsukiyama didn't wish to push him, but his curiosity had been mounting steadily with each silent second that passed.

Leaning back against Tsukiyama's armored chest, Kaneki kept his head low and finally told him his reason for becoming a summoner. At first, the story sounded like something Tsukiyama had heard before. Kaneki's father had been working along the coast when Sin arrived and massacred the beach. It was much too large for any of them to run away from, and his father died along with his fellow workers. After that, it was just him and his mother. Tsukiyama's interest rose when he heard that his mother had also been a summoner.

When he spoke of her, Kaneki's voice became much quieter. Though Tsukiyama hadn't been able to see his face, he realized that talking about her made him emotional.

To avenge his father, to protect her son, and to protect everyone, she worked her hardest to become a summoner. She spent almost every day in the temple, rarely emerging to see him. She toiled tirelessly to take on the Aeon, pushing herself far beyond her limits. That was why, when she went inside the cloister to communicate with the Fayth... She did not return.

His father had been lost to Sin. And his mother had been consumed by the teachings that made her believe she would be able to avenge him.

After hearing his story, Tsukiyama wondered why Kaneki would choose to travel down the same path that had killed his mother, but he didn't feel it was his place to ask such a question. Besides, he needed him to be a summoner. If he told Kaneki that the path of the summoner weren't the best for him, then what was he supposed to do about himself? Was he supposed to go crawling back to the Chocobo Knights so shortly after leaving them?

Not only did something like that feel wrong, it would have pushed him even farther away from his dream. He needed Kaneki to continue his pilgrimage.

They rested in Luca. Money was no object to Tsukiyama, so they spent the night in a nice hotel. That night, as Kaneki sat by the window, still dressed in his black robes, he turned to Tsukiyama and beckoned him near. They stood in the same sort of silence that had become familiar until Kaneki told him what was on his mind.

It was the world, he said.

Sin and Yevon and the ones who lost their lives while pursuing a sense of safety and happiness they shouldn't have had to fight for... It was all wrong.

A typical summoner understood that defeating Sin was like patching a hole; they knew that their contribution would just be a temporary fix until the day when Sin finally failed to return. But Kaneki wanted more than that. He wanted to defeat Sin for good.

Their motivation was different, but their goal was the same. It seemed that Kaneki must have been able to sense that ambition in him when they met, which was why he allowed him to become his guardian.

The next morning, before Kaneki awoke, Tsukiyama went into the city and bought the finest book of spells he could find. He hadn't asked, but he realized that Kaneki's family must not have been able to afford such a thing. It happened so quickly that Tsukiyama would've missed it if he had blinked, but he caught the way that Kaneki's face suddenly lit up when he was given the book. The smile he saw did something to him. It wasn't until much later that he realized what had changed that day.

They continued their journey. As they took the boat from Luca to Kilika, he and Kaneki took turns reading from the spell book. Before they even reached land, Kaneki was able to strike down the flying fiends that followed their boat with an effortless wave of his staff. Whenever Kaneki took a break or laid down to rest, Tsukiyama began reading from a different section of the book.

Black magic would have suited him better, he thought, but...

Well, he was Kaneki's guardian.

By the time they reached Kilika, Kaneki had made immense progress. He made them walk on foot through the forest before reaching the temple so that they could test themselves against the area's fiends. They were weaker than the ones they encountered along the Mi'ihen Highroad, but they fell far quicker than Tsukiyama would have expected. Still, Kaneki was a small person, and Tsukiyama could tell that he was pushing himself. When his steps began to stagger, Tsukiyama made him wait so he could treat him, finally putting his own research to use.

Kaneki hadn't realized that he had been learning white magic. He seemed surprised, and he hid his gratitude, hurrying along ahead of him as soon as he was able to walk steadily on his own.

Kilika Temple posed no challenge to them, and they easily collected the aeon.

After that came Besaid, where he received the Fayth's blessing so quickly that the people of the temple believed there had to have been some kind of mistake. Finally, Kaneki was receiving praise for his achievements, but it was such an unfamiliar experience for him that he barely knew how to reply to the people who approached him. Tsukiyama watched from a distance as the Besaid crowd grew around him, smirking to himself as he listened to Kaneki stammer as he fought to find something satisfying to say to them in return.

Besaid was just a small island village, but word of the elegant white-haired summoner and his mounted guardian spread quickly throughout Spira. Before they knew it, they were like celebrities. Women stopped to excitedly greet them at every stop they made on their trip back to the port of Kilika, and they were greeted similarly on the other side in Luca.

It was a long trip from there to the next temple. It felt nearly a world a way, but the time passed quickly with Kaneki.

He was a quiet person, but he gradually became more comfortable in Tsukiyama's presence. At one of their stops across the vast southern continent, as Tsukiyama treated him after a difficult battle, Kaneki admitted something that surprised him. He said that, initially, he let him become his guardian because he saw him as someone he could use. After he stole his spotlight in Djose that day, he resented him and even saw this as a way to strip him of his pride, but, somewhere along the way, he realized that Tsukiyama had been following him for genuine reasons.

He wasn't surprised to hear that Kaneki had resented him. What surprised him was hearing Kaneki speaking his feelings for him out loud. It was like he was able to read the things hidden at the back of his heart and held up a mirror for him to see them for himself.

Certainly, he had been scheming to find a way to elevate himself, but, when he saw Kaneki there, looking so defeated, he felt something. Like finding an injured bird, Tsukiyama had felt the overwhelming need to protect him, and that feeling had remained. In fact, he realized that that feeling was only getting stronger.

When he finished healing him, Kaneki had thanked him and told him that maybe it wasn't so bad to have a guardian like him.

Tsukiyama started taking his duty more seriously after that.

Like any other summoner, Kaneki wished to complete his pilgrimage quickly, but Tsukiyama insisted that they move at their leisure, enjoying their surroundings and the hospitality of the local people. Really, it was because he began to realize something.

Perhaps more than victory and glory, he longed for his summoner.

The charm he used on the girls in town wasn't enough to work on Kaneki, but that didn't stop him from trying. After failing to catch his interest countless times, however, he realized that it was the things he did or said unconsciously that were the things that made Kaneki laugh and smile. He was so used to trying to impress that he hadn't realized how difficult it could be to try to act naturally. Fortunately, the harder he tried to act natural, the funnier Kaneki seemed to find him.

Despite his efforts, it was Kaneki who came to his bed. Being a knight, Tsukiyama was somewhat surprised when he found himself laying beneath him, but he had no complaints. It wasn't unheard of for a summoner to be involved romantically with one of their guardians, but there was still something that felt so forbidden about touching a summoner. He knew that Kaneki wasn't the most devout, but Tsukiyama's heart had still pounded with dangerous excitement as he watched him disrobe.

His loyalty to him grew exponentially with each step they took toward their final destination. His heart swelled with pride as he watched him cast strong spells against the fearsome fiends of Macalania Woods. Just like the other Aeons, he obtained Shiva at their temple after a short conversation with the Fayth. At that point in their journey, Kaneki's resolve was possibly stronger than that of any summoner who had ever lived.

He was proud of him, but with Kaneki's new strength, Tsukiyama also discovered a new worry that shook his heart.

Once, he heard that the guardians who protected the summoners and even the summoners themselves tended to give up their own hope as they ventured farther along their pilgrimage, resigning themselves to what would probably be their last stand.

He had faith in himself and he had faith in the summoner who he'd helped raise, but he couldn't escape the worry and doubt that slithered its way into his mind. Perhaps the reason he had been slowing their travel was so that he could stay with him a little longer. If they made it all the way to Zanarkand...

It was the same thing that caused others to stray from their path. He was supposed to remain faithful and accept the weight of his duty, but if believing meant that he had to let Kaneki risk his life, then he wasn't so sure he could make it to the end anymore. Letting Kaneki willingly step into danger was not what a guardian was supposed to do.

But he couldn't find the right way to tell him that. They were already a short distance from Bevelle and his mind remained ravaged by such thoughts until they arrived. When they got there, it took all of his effort to move his feet, and his hesitance hadn't gone unnoticed, unfortunately. He could tell that Kaneki must have realized what he was thinking already, but he didn't say anything to him about it. He was probably grateful that he was remaining quiet, allowing him to continue along his quest to correct the world even if it meant holding his tongue and sacrificing the things he held important.

With the aeons from every temple in their possession, they headed north, toward Zanarkand.

It was killing him inside. The thing that began as a small worry had turned into a great despair as he was constantly plagued by the thought of being torn away from the one he had come to care so deeply for. He couldn't define what he felt, but there was something else that made him feel as though he had known Kaneki for even longer. It might have been all the time they spent together, traveling almost the entire world at each other's side, but it felt more mysterious than that; more powerful. Staring at Kaneki's back as he walked ahead of him and his chocobo, Tsukiyama felt a distinct and unsettling sense of déjà vu.

At last, they reached the Calm Lands; the place where many summoners cut their journey short with their own second thoughts. Those who returned after coming so far were never looked upon fondly. To have made it that far and turned back was like throwing the hope and encouragement of the people back at their faces. They weighed their expectations down on the summoners' shoulders; a thing that had always bothered Tsukiyama.

It wasn't the people's expectations that drove Kaneki forward, but his own resolve. Kaneki's iron will was far stronger than anything else, and, if Tsukiyama hoped to convince him to stop, then he would have to think of something really good.

He didn't want to leave those plains. He knew that the ruins of Zanarkand lay beyond them, and he feared what waited for them there. Every now and then, he took a glance at Kaneki to try to read what he was thinking, but it was too difficult; his expression stoic and sealed. Since they left Macalania Temple, he noticed that Kaneki had become even more quiet than usual. It made him wonder what he and the Fayth had talked about. The Aeon he received there, Shiva, had become his most-summoned Aeon, and he looked at her with an air of trust whenever he relied on her in battle.

Unable to cross the plains in one night, they made camp and laid down to rest in the soft grass. His heart seized with anxiety, Tsukiyama kept to himself and looked up at the stars. Noticing his unusual silence, Kaneki came closer until he was laying at his side, his head resting upon his chest. He could feel the warmth of Kaneki's cheek against his chest, unguarded by armor.

“You've been awfully quiet,” Kaneki told him. “That's strange for you.”

Snorting tiredly, Tsukiyama placed a hand on top of Kaneki's head and lazily stroked his hair, willing himself to be calm. “I always have a lot of thoughts, but the closer we come to Zanarkand, the more of them I seem to have.”

Kaneki was quiet, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

Keeping his eyes trained on the stars, Tsukiyama prayed.

“I won't stop,” Kaneki said.

All too soon, his prayers were silenced.

Tilting his chin up, Kaneki looked at him with a hint of a smile on his lips. “What happened to your goal? You don't want to achieve eternal glory any longer? Having your name written in history books isn't enough for you?”

He had an answer for him – one that he hoped might convince him – but he kept it inside, frightened that it still might not be enough. Now that Kaneki had acquired many powerful Aeons who were more than willing to assist him, there would be nothing he could do to stop him. His name, his position and strength as a knight... He didn't know why, but this didn't feel like the first time he had experienced this feeling of hopelessness, but there was no part of him that accepted it. His chest tightened around his heart, his body went stiff, his lips became cold.

It didn't matter whether he abandoned Kaneki now. He told himself that he could find another means to attain the glory he sought. But he wasn't satisfied with that.

What was it about Kaneki that made him so important to him?

The stars faded from his eyes and he fell into a fitful sleep, haunted by a looming dread that lasted until morning.

When he awoke, Kaneki was already gone. His chocobo had been tethered to a nearby tree to keep it from following after him. The moment that it noticed that Tsukiyama was awake, it began to wark wildly, struggling to pull itself free from where it was tied. Before he let the reality of Kaneki's absence sink in, Tsukiyama got up to free the frantic chocobo. Once he had the reins untied, it pointed its beak toward the mountains, ready to move as soon as Tsukiyama was ready.

What was he supposed to do, though? Chase after him and try to knock him out so he could drag him back to Bevelle where he'd be far away from Zanarkand? That would never work.

He knew that much, but he was already donning his armor, driven by his feelings. Even if it were pointless, he didn't want to live with the regret of never having tried to stop him at all. Maybe, if Kaneki still insisted on going... Maybe he would join him. After all, he'd never heard of a summoner who had been able to defeat Sin without at least one guardian by their side.

His chocobo seemed relieved when he mounted it. Tsukiyama didn't know which path they should take and trusted that his chocobo knew where they should be heading. Before reaching Zanarkand, Kaneki was going to have to pass through the cold mountains of the north, and he doubted that he would be able to make it alone. At the least, he was going to have to stop to rest before he attempted to cross them.

They didn't make it even halfway to the mountains before they spotted someone resting in the grassy plains. Even from a distance, there was no doubt that those black robes and that white hair could belong to only one person. Afraid that Kaneki may rise up and vanish like an illusion before he even had the chance to reach him, he made his chocobo pick up its pace, racing to where he sat.

Kaneki must have heard them approach, but he didn't look up to greet them.

Tsukiyama dismounted. Allowing himself no further hesitation, he said what he was unable to the night before, feeling that he may encounter no better time.

“What I want isn't glory. The only thing I need... The only thing I need is you.” His voice quivered as he tried to restrain his emotions. Balling his hands into fists at his side, he held himself strong before him. “I know that there may be nothing I can do to stop you. I know that this is what you want, and I was the one to help you make it this far. But... I'm not sure I can continue with you if it means allowing you to sacrifice yourself.”

Kaneki was quiet, and Tsukiyama gave him a few minutes to think about his words; however long he needed as long as it meant that he'd been heard. Even when Kaneki finally responded, he remained sitting, his eyes distant, following the waving blades of grass.

“You don't think we'll be able to destroy Sin completely?”

It wasn't that he didn't believe. Tsukiyama was just too frightened of the possibility that they might not, that they would be the ones destroyed by it instead. Greater warriors than he had faced it and fallen.

It was only his own arrogance that had made him think otherwise. It had been difficult for him to accept it, but once he did, it was impossible to ignore, and it made him realize the importance of the things he did have.

He didn't want to lose him.

“She... also tried to convince me,” Kaneki said, vague enough to make Tsukiyama wonder who he was talking about. “The Fayth in Macalania – she believe that Sin could never be stopped. It felt like she was able to see right through me somehow when she told me that Sin exists to make us appreciate the moment. It wasn't the first time I had ever heard someone say that before, but hearing it now – from a Fayth... It really made me think.”

That must have been the reason why he looked so thoughtful after they left Macalania. Just like him, Kaneki had been thinking about something he was hesitant to say out loud; something that could alter the course of their journey.

When Tsukiyama met him, he wanted to remove that forlorn expression from his face. Seeing him still looking the same way even now made him feel as though he'd failed. More than victory over Sin, he wanted to make Kaneki happy. For him, that would be the ultimate happiness.

Kaneki's shoulders softly trembled. “I want to appreciate what I have now for as long as I can,” he said.

When he looked up at him, Tsukiyama could see the desperation in his eyes. Kaneki wasn't sure of this decision, but it was clear that he was no longer sure that he wanted to forge ahead, either. For now, even if it meant that he had to turn his back on his pilgrimage, he wanted to enjoy what made him happy. He wanted to spend his time on himself and...

Tsukiyama smiled, happy that Kaneki had chosen him.

He held out his hand, his palm facing the blue sky.

“Come,” he said. “I'll take you away from here.”

Kaneki placed his delicate fingers into his gloved hand, and Tsukiyama helped him mount the chocobo with him. It was going to be a long time before they returned to the city, but, once they made it back, Tsukiyama thought that maybe they could stay there. His chocobo ran at a brisk pace, carrying them back across the plains with a sparkle in its eyes. That was the first time Kaneki had ever sat behind him, but Tsukiyama felt comforted by the arms wrapped around his waist, and he was grateful that Kaneki would be unable to see the tears on his face as he held his head toward the sky.

Without vanquishing Sin, there was no telling how much time they would have together, but he was thankful that they had that time at all.