For a fox, Niko wasn't very cunning. He was smart, but he was not tactical. He knew this but still was willing and able to help out when he could. While Sapphire rejoined the Insurgents, Niko found work elsewhere. Specifically with music. He discovered a hidden knack for repairing and making instruments. So, with a little financial boost from the Insurgents, he started his business in a haunted house for reasons that he wouldn't tell you.

Inside the house, he befriended a metallic bat named Kivat the 3rd. The two became friends immediately. One day a knock at the door came and Niko jumped out the bath forgetting something; a towel. Checking the peephole, he saw it was Sapphire. Opening the door, he and Kivat bowed.

"Hi, Sapphire!" Niko said bowing clumsily.

"Welcome to our humble music shop!" Kivat continued. He looked to Niko and noticed he was void of a towel. "Niko. You're naked without a towel!"

Niko jumped and covered himself with a violin.

"Sorry!" Niko shouted, bowing apologetically. "I was just taking a bath. So what brings you by honey?"

Sapphire didn't usually get breaks in her work day, usually because she refused them, but sometimes Garnet forced them upon her when she was working especially hard. He was the Director of the Insurgents after all, and she wasn't really allowed to refuse direct orders. When she did take breaks, she usually used them to visit her husband, Niko.

She stood on the other side of the door dressed in a black suit (she had been on a business call), her hands folded her in front of her and her hair pulled back. She smiled when Niko and Kivat bowed, and she shook her head slightly when Niko hurried to cover himself with a violin.

"Just thought I'd stop by to see how things are going," she told him. "Things going well?"

"Things are great." Niko replied. "Kivat and I have been fixing instruments and making them. It's been a good way to use my time. So how is everything with the Insurgents?"

Sapphire was glad Niko was finding something to do with his time. She had known that one of his biggest concerns with her going back to the Insurgents had been having nothing to do while he was alone. She was simply happy he had found something.

"Everything is going better than I could have hoped," she told him with a wide smile. She was enjoying work more than she had expected to. Everything was just so comfortable and familiar.

She peered passed Kivat and Niko, gazing into the store beyond, eyeing the instruments. "It definitely seems like you guys have a good business going."

"Yep!" Niko said beaming with joy. "I'm glad you think so."

Just then, one of the violins starts playing a note. Kivat looked to Niko and Sapphire.

"Time to show you something." Kivat said. "Come with me. A Fangire just appeared."

Kivat flew off to the city and Niko followed. He knew this was serious but he didn't know what to think of it. Sapphire was... Confused to say the least. She didn't know much about Kivat, and she knew nothing of the thing he spoke of. She slowly started to follow Niko, though she walked in a manner that showed she did not intend on sticking around.

"I should really be getting back to work..." she called up ahead to Niko, who was now many paces ahead of her.

Niko waved back to Sapphire and noticed the Fangire was running towards her. Kivat quickly bit Niko's hand and mosaic tattoos appeared on Niko's body. Rushing towards the Fangire, he vaulted over her and yelled out.

"Henshin!" Niko shouted as he was surrounded by a silvery film. When the film dissipated, Niko was covered in red and gold vampiric armor with Kivat hanging upside-down on the belt. He had blocked the Fangire's attack with his forearm.

"Sapphire," Kivat said. "Head back to the Insurgents headquarters as you intended, we'll deal with this!"

Everything happened fast. One minute Niko was in front of her, the next he was behind her, the next it seemed as if he'd transformed, and the last she was being told to leave. Her eyes lingered on this armored Niko for a moment longer before her hand found a circular disc on her waist. She presses a button on the center, and just like that, she was gone.

When she reappeared, Sapphire stood in the middle of a dark-lighted hallway, people rushing back and forth past her. She grabbed the the shoulder of one person and spun him around.

"What's happening, corporal?" she asked, quickly noting his insignia, and the man gestured for her to follow him. They both took off at a quick pace.

"We've received an alarming signal from the city," he started, quickly moving out of the hallway and into a room filled with computers and all kinds of high tech equipment. One large screen took up an entire wall, and on it was the scene she had left only moments ago. "The creature is unknown, but instead of following standard protocol, the Director requested immediate termination after finding it was coming for you." At the computers, people talked urgently into headsets and tapped away at keys. The soldier hurried to an empty terminal, taking his place amongst the others.

Sapphire scowled. Her husband was in there, and Garnet was about to overreact and practically overkill this thing that Kivat called Fangire. She hurried to the closest terminal and, as calmly as she could, requested her spot. The woman moved quickly (Sapphire was very highly ranked), and she sat down. The woman passes her the headset she had been wearing as Sapphire held her hand out. She tapped a few buttons on the headset and typed a few things on the keyboard before speaking.

"This is Agent Sapphire. No soldiers are to leave the base and approach this creature. I repeat, no soldiers are to leave the base and approach this creature. There is a civilian in the proximity that could be harmed. The number of drones sent to the location are to be limited to four, and they will not fire unless the civilian leaves the scene."

"Agent, you're asking us to ignore orders given to us by-"

"You all know this attack is absolutely overkill," Sapphire cut off. "This is an order. I will deal with any and all consequences." There was silence for a moment, but a moment later, orders and actions were changing.

Meanwhile, Niko kicked the Fangire and looked at it and pulled out a red key-like cartridge and puts it on the belt. The sky turns dark and red clouds fill the sky. Jumping into the air, Niko's leg opened to reveal a winged boot. Niko came crashing down boot first into the Fangire destroying it. The remains of it, a glowing orb floated into the air and disappeared. Niko reverted back to normal and sighed.

"Well that was odd," Niko said. "Kivat, you mind explaining to me why this is happening?"

"Once we're out of the open back home yeah." Kivat replied.