Mikoto sat on the couch of the empty bar with Kusanagi polishing a glass with a cloth behind the bars counter. It was quiet in the bar besides for the music coming from the jukebox; just recently installed.

Mikoto sat with his leg resting on his knee and a hand rested on his lap. His eyes were shut as he quietly napped for the moment. Izumo watched his friend with a small smile on his face as he put away the glass he just finished polishing the one in his hand before he began to put away from of the new shipments that were on the ground.

The door opened and a small bell rang, making the blond look up at the customer before speaking. Only to be stopped by the figure of the woman. She was at average height with blue elbow length hair and white bangs that went over her left eye. She wore a trench coat that went down to her knees and was completely black. The coat hid the rest of her outfit besides for the black boots that went up to her knees. Over her face, she wore dark ultra violet sunglasses, making it impossible to see her face.

The woman looks around the bar until she walks over to the sleeping Mikoto and taps his shoulder. He opens his eyes half wide before looking up at the figure in silence and with no hints of surprise. He lamely stood up and walks to the back of the bar where no one would be able to know what happened, with the woman following him in silence. Kusanagi couldn't help but look at the back door in suspicion, but he doesn't do anything besides go back to sorting the soda that came in a cooler.

In the back, Mikoto and the woman looked at each other in silence for a minute before the man spoke first.

"How did you find me?" He asks the figure. Clearly knowing who she is.

"You just have to ask around. A lot of the students at school know you." The known woman says to him as she takes off her glasses and looks at him with dull colored, azure eyes.

He makes no note of that. "What is it that you want from me?"

The woman looks down at the cement walk and hesitates. She finally closes her eyes and sighs. Taking off the somewhat large backpack she had on, she gently places it up right and goes down to her knees before opening it.

"I need you to do something for me." She opens the biggest compartment and reveals… a child.

The little girl looked to be about a year; not needing her mother's milk anymore. She slept in a fetal position as she held her tiny hand near her slightly open mouth. Her hair seemed to be growing fast by the sight of shoulder length hair colored dark blue; like the woman's.

Mikoto doesn't say anything as he looks down at the child with a speck of curiosity and a eyes full of wonder.

"I need you to take her from me." The woman says as she looks up at the redhead again. This time; with a look of guilt.

He hesitates before speaking. "No."

"What!?" She shouts, but just barely enough to even make the girl stir.

"She's your kid, Mikka. Why don't you take care of her yourself?" Mikoto asks his big sister.

"I-I," she stutters to find the words. "I'm being hunted."

Mikoto's eyes shot open in surprise for a second before realizing the situation and letting out a small chuckle.

"You want me to be her bodyguard." She looks up at him as he walks up to her face and frowns. "Forget it."

She gasps out in surprise! "Why won't you do it?"

He grunts in annoyance. "The kid would be a waste of my time."

"Your friend can watch her." He looks at Mikka with an expression that seemed to want her to be hung by a rope at that moment.

Mikka continued to nag Mikoto until he finally rubbed his temples and made her shut up. Then the real question came.

"Why me?" She stops and looks at her daughter.

"You're her only family. And I know she won't have me soon."

There was silence all around them until she bowed to her little brother one last time before walking away from the two most important things in life she ever cared about. Mikoto on the other hand only thought to himself as he stared at his little niece; will anything be normal anymore?

~*~ Lite A Flame ~*~

"Kusanagi." Mikoto walks into the bar and finds his friend sorting through some shipments still before he looks up at him in confusion.

"Hey, who was she?" Mikoto's eye twitches before switching the topic.

"Do you still have that guest room free?" His friend nods before he watches his redhead friend go up the stairs with a random backpack over his shoulder. He opens his mouth to question him but he doesn't say anything when he heard him sigh out loud when going up the stairs.

Mikoto walks into the room and quietly shuts the door behind him as he walks up to the untouched bed in the other room and gently sets down the backpack. Unzipping the zipper, he gently pulls out the little girl and laid her down onto the bed, letting her body stretch from having to be in that backpack for who knows how long. She seemed small for her age. Weighed like nothing to Mikoto. She was pale, like him. But the only thing was her hair. Her hair was drapping over her shoulder and fell on her face. She looked so peaceful just sleeping there.

Mikoto doesn't make any movement until he decides to go back down stairs and hang out with the bartender. Maybe even ask if he has any experience with children. Because, of course; he doesn't.

"What was that about?" Izumo asks as his friend walks up to the counter and sits in a stool.

"Which one?" He questions back.

"Well first, what's with the chick?"

Mikoto frowns deeply before answering. "My sister." Izumo drops the glass he was polishing and freezes. But like a ninja, he barely catches the glass with his shoe and holds still, without making any sudden movements.

"Your what?" He asks again.

"My sister." His friend answers again. "My parents adopted her after she was kicked out of the house by her parents. She's three years older then me and from what I know right now; she's in big trouble with the law." The redhead finishes and chugs down the soda he had in front of him.

Kusanagi finally lets the information soak in until he starts moving again before asking him something else.

"What about the room?"

"It's for her daughter." He drops the glass again, but this time letting it shatter all over the ground. "Shut up, you're gonna wake her." Mikoto commands with blunt words.

"Why do you have her kid?" Kusanagi asks as he leans down to pick up the broken pieces.

"She doesn't want her to get killed in the process." Mikoto looks down at his empty glass and stares at it for a moment. "I can't believe she would do that. Give birth to a kid knowing that she will be killed sooner or later."

"What happens when she does get killed? What do you do with the kid?" He shrugs his shoulders and looks down at the counters surface with a blank stare. "Well, for one, what's the kid's name?" Mikoto looks up in realization before faceplanting into the bar with a groan. "You can't be shitting me right now."

"The little bitch didn't tell me her name." Mikoto growls and shook his head.

"Maybe she didn't name her?" Kusanagi looks at his frustrated friend and shrugs his shoulders.

"That is a stupid thought." The redhead growls before a third voice interrupts their discussion.

"Mama?" Izumo and Suoh look back at the stairway and see the little girl walking down the steps, using the wall for support because of the missing railing.

Mikoto hears Izumo gasp before he walks towards the little girl. "She's so adorable." Picking her up, the little girl slightly giggles and leans against his shoulder. "Well look at who's up. Did you sleep well?" Kusanagi spoke in a somewhat stupid, little high pitched voice that made the little girl in his arms understand him. She nods her head and laughs.

"Well that answers my question." Mikoto says as he shook his head.

"Was it to see if I have experience with kids? I have some but I not enough to be a parent."

The redhead sighs. "You can have her."

"Hell no!" The bartender says with a slight frown. "I have the bar to look after."

"Well I have school." The blond rolls his eyes.

"You just barely participate to just pass by the inch."

"Still, I have a life."

"Papa." Mikoto looks back at the girl and sees her eyes for the first time. They were a dark crimson color that didn't match her hair at all.

"I'm not your dad." He says with a grumble.

"Papa." The girl continues to extend herself out to him as she tries to touch him. Seeing this, Izumo smiles and hands her to the annoyed Mikoto. He unwillingly takes her and sets her down on his knee, confused on with to do. "Papa!" She calls out to him cheerfully and leans against his chest.

He felt his heart begin to beat rapidly as the girl clenched onto him and called him 'papa'. He didn't understand what it was but he somehow liked it.

He looks up at Kusanagi and sees him polishing a new glass as he watched the girl continue to embrace the redhead. Looking back down at the girl, he gives a tiny smile to her and wrapped his arm around her.

"What should I name her?" He asks his friend behind the bar.

"Something unique." He simply answers, going back to his duties.

He thought of it for a moment before he looks down at the little girl in his arms and says her name out loud. "Sinikka." The girl looks up at him and laughs lightly.

"Looks like she likes that name." Kusanagi tells the redhead.

"Guess so."