Chapter 48

Homecoming (ただいま, Tadaima) is the 48th chapter of the Parasyte manga series, written and illustrated by Hitoshi Iwaaki.

Overview
''The police quickly start questioning Reiko about her killing Kuramori, which she denies. After confirming Shinichi as a human, the police begin shooting Reiko. Instead of fighting back, Reiko sacrifices her body in order to protect her child. Before dying from her wounds, Reiko gives Shinichi her child, and confeses she's enjoyed her time trying to understand humans. After watching Reiko die, Shinichi is flooded with memories of his mother and all the events that lead him to this day. This causes Shinichi to cry, an emotion, he long though was lost.''

Summary
Detective Hirama accuses Tamura of killing Kuramori. She calmly denies the accusation, pretending she is not the woman he is looking for. In response, Hirama calls to Shinichi, misnaming him to test his response and make sure he really is Shinichi. Now more certain, Hirama pulls out a gun and aims at Tamura, stating he will take responsibility for his actions. She doesn't let up her act of innocence and cries out, pleading him to stop and causing the other men to hesitate. He shoots regardless.

Satomi overhears the gunshot while in the park.

Tamura smiles calmly with a hole in her head while praising Hirama, and spits out the bullet. This prompts him to command his men to shoot, while Shinichi yells for them to stop so they don't hurt the infant. Both Hirama and Migi tell him to move back. Tamura then changes her hair to form a rubbery shield over her child.

Satomi listens to the gunshots and has a flashback of Hideo Shimada's attack and Shinichi saving her. Unwilling to believe he might be involved once again, she begins to leave in distress. Kana's spirit appears to fortify her and she halts.

Still shielding her child, Tamura begins to approach Shinichi. Her lack of aggression confuses Migi, but he tells Shinichi to get away. Seeing him move back, she tries to figure out how to make him stay, and changes her face into the face of Shinichi's mother she had seen in his scrapbook. Though Migi is now frantically trying to tell him it's a trap, he decides to stay. Unwilling to hit Shinichi, Hirama tells his men to stop shooting.

Now face to face, Tamura tells Shinichi that she wondered for a long time on the parasites' existence and reason for being, but only found more questions each time she answered one. She gives him her child, who she had never experimented on, and asks for it to be raised well. She thanks him, reminisces on practicing human laughter, and dies.

The infant begins to cry, Shinichi empathizing with his own mother's death, and remembers her taking care of him and the deaths he's been through. He then fantasizes of his parents returning whole and hardy from their trip, and begins to cry.

Satomi arrives, and upon seeing his emotional reaction asks if he's back.

Trivia

 * This is the chapter in which shinichi regains his humanity.