The stars shone bright that night, forming an endless and wide picture in the cloudless sky. Even with their brilliant light in the sheer blackness of the night, they hardly provided enough luminosity to enlighten the numerous, diverging streets leading to the magnificent mansions of the rich, but also to the deepest pits the city had to offer. The lanterns lining the road led the last lost souls at this late hour out of the darkness and to their desired shelter. Their fires flickered wildly, whenever a gush of wind blew through them, making the already cold weather icy.

Guren pulled his cloak closer to keep the last bit of warmth contained under it. There was not much left to begin with. The chilly air got through every fiber of his clothes, freezing him to the bone. He fought down a shiver, as he cupped his numb hands in front of his face and breathed against them. Moving his fingers Guren could feel the sense of touch and agility, which were the most important tools for this task, returning as little puffs rose from his hands and took off to the sky. The darkness was frightening to many, but one could also make a living out of it. Even if the job was more than just uncomfortable. Right now, only the drunk, the homeless and the shady were still crossing his paths, with no place to belong and the despair in their hearts keeping them away from sleep. One would argue he had gotten used to it by now, but being among those people still left a dull taste in his mouth. Hiding in an alleyway behind an abandoned cottage, his eyes followed each and every one of their kind.

Their target was the three story high mansion at the other side of the road, which they had been monitoring for half a week. This was normal procedure, but right now he was just tired of it and wanted this entire mission to end rather quickly. The house belonged to the Rikudous, one of the ten noble families whose ancestors descended directly from the imperial family, making them one of the biggest supporters of the government. The lord living there had exited the building already two hours ago, leaving only the staff members to worry about.

"Guren-sama, we are ready to begin." The voice close behind him almost made Guren jump. Turning around he had to look down to see the small figure standing in front of him. The woman's golden eyes fixated him from under her bangs and her hair was as pitch black as the night. Shigure Yukimi's ability to move around unseen and unheard was formidable and Guren knew it pretty well, but she nevertheless managed to startle him now and then.

"Report." He ordered his subordinate, who nodded at him and obeyed promptly.

"In two minutes Goshi-san will cause a commotion down the street, thus drawing all the attention to the front gate. Sayuri and Mito-san have confirmed that only ten members of the staff are remaining in the residence at this hour and the Master has just found a worthy partner at his usual gambling table. It is estimated he will return in the morning. His study lies on the second floor to the right, at the back of the building. We could confirm said object is located in that room."

"Where are Sayuri and Mito right now?"

"Mito-san is at the front gate making sure to add to Goshi-san's distraction to keep all residence at the front as long as possible. Sayuri is waiting for your arrival in the backyard."

"Well then, seems it is finally my moment to shine." Guren answered and stretched his arms to bring some life back to his muscles. It was a pain to think about breaking into a house right now. Still, sitting everything out had always been his least favorite part at work and Guren was finally getting something to do. The faster this was done, the earlier he could get home and out of this cold and dirty mess of a district. Seeing those rich people made him want to puke anyway.

He pointed to the wall, surrounding the backyard in which Sayuri was supposed to meet him. It was almost three meters high and shielded whatever was lying beyond it from any view from the outside.

"You can assure that no one is at the back of the mansion right now?"

Again Shigure nodded eagerly.

"All of them are occupied with chores in the main quarters, so getting to the backyard right now shouldn't be a problem."

Guren closed his eyes as a little smile appeared on his face. This was a far easier job than he had at first expected it to be for one of the richest districts of the city. With the regular patrols of the guards and the peaceful and calm environment the locals were much too careless with the actual security of their homes, making this job a piece of cake. It was like they were asking to be robbed.

"Shigure, take a high spot to get a full view and oversee this thing. If something doesn't go according to plan, give us the usual warning. I want to hear later, if you have noticed some situation which could have turned out dangerously."

There were more than a few times, when Guren and his group had fled from hounds and owners, due to a mistake in their plan. Alone for the shock and scars those times left him with, he wanted to avoid repeating that at all cost.

His subordinate blinked at him surprised by his command, before she replied confusedly.

"You want me to make suggestions for a fitter plan in the future, if this one is going to fail?"

"Let's hope it will not fail."

With this he turned around and walked out of his hideout into the open street. He stopped one step before the wall and put his hand against the cold stone, feeling its surface and confirming his grip against it. One look back told him, that Shigure had disappeared as silently as usual. Closing his eyes he listened to his surroundings. It was late at night and not many people were still on the streets, but it would be unfortunate, if one caught him at the wrong time, while breaking into a backyard of a noble. The guards were expected to pass through this area in two hours again, so he wasn't really worried about these guys. Still, even if the ones seeing him were just drunks, he wanted the work of the Moon Order to stay as secretive as possible. After all, their future operations and connections with the clients depended on their reputation; or more like the reputation for no information about them whatsoever, since secrecy and discretion was the most important part of their organization.

No steps and voices were audible, the city having quieted down. Right now was his best go.

Taking a deep breath Guren fixated the obstacle in front of him one last time, measuring its height and the speed he would need to climb it with, before he took a few steps back. Stretching his legs and arms he started prancing lightly on his feet, shifting his weight from one leg to the other, to get a feeling for the ground beneath him. With a few skips he broke into a dash, finally jumping against the wall and using it as a stepping stone to lift his body up higher. His fingertips reached the edge of the damn thing and taking another step against the wall Guren obtained enough momentum to place at first his forearms and then his upper body on the top of the wall. Since climbing obstacles was part of his training it all happened in one swift motion in under a second. Now crouching at the top, he took a moment to view the place he was about to enter.

Second floor to the right, huh? This pretentious place was divided in quarters and had so many windows, he only had a vague idea, which one would be correct.

As expected of the Rikudou family, they always had a preference for showing their wealth to the people around them. But who would have thought they would build a palace of this size? It's possibly the biggest mansion on the hill.

Since doing the Hiragis a favor the Rikudou family had risen in prestige and standing. And with their new social acknowledgment and praise, a home representing all their power had to be build. Even in the dark Guren recognized sculptures at the edges of the rooftop, as well as the ornaments and drawings adorning the sides, descending down to the balconies, which fused with every second window. These decorations alone must have cost a fortune, apart from the golden hangings he could see in the rooms. Displaying their fortune like this, Guren wondered why there weren't more safety measurements against robberies.

Silently he let himself drop to the ground, hidden behind the shrubbery which accompanied the small fruit trees a few steps back from the wall. He peeked over the bushes and eyed the terrace, bathed in the warm light coming from the dancing hall behind the huge windows. The light reached far enough for Guren to discern the perfect structure of flower beds and hedges leading the way to the small shrine on the other side of the garden. He frowned as he watched the familiar figure next to the shrine and carefully made his way over. The influence of the Hyakuya Church was strong since centuries – almost as long as the Hiragi family reigned over this city – but he had never seen nobles worshipping the Sect this openly. After all, their religion frequently collided with the political views of the rulers and nobody was permitted to have a different opinion than the Hiragis.

Close to the wall he avoided the small area bathed in light, as he made his way over to his subordinate. With her black cloak Sayuri was almost invisible in the night, hiding her presence from anyone who wasn't supposed to see her. She had observed the house for days now, without even the gardener noticing her.

"Guren-sama!" she quietly called over once he came into her view, now only a few meters away from her. Her voice was nervous as she crossed the last distance with a few hurried steps. While doing so she accidentally stepped on the long cloak, making her lose her balance and with a muffled sound she landed on the grass right before his feet.

"Uwah, I'm sorry for being so clumsy, Guren-sama! Seems like my senses are especially numb during this cold weather." The woman whispered as she picked herself up and looked around, checking for some unwanted visitors, who might have noticed her moving. Guren did the same, already used to this kind of thing. He never understood how Sayuri managed to stay under cover during observations like that, while being so clumsy and basically drawing all attention towards her, once she took a step out of her hideout. Even Shigure, who was specialized in creeping up behind people, was always discovered faster by them than Sayuri during practice. It was like she was a mouse, which would turn into an elephant once it changed locations.

"The object is still in place?"

"Yes. The master has left it in the right drawer of his desk in his study." She pointed to a window leading to a dark room at the second floor of the building. "He took it out and polished it this afternoon and I feared he wanted to take it with him, but in the end he placed it back there, right before he left." She glanced up to the tree from which she had checked the windows on the upper floors. For a moment Guren thought again about using this route to enter the study but rejected the idea once more. The space was too wide, even for him and he didn't want to break his neck in the attempt to jump on the balcony, when he could also take the bothersome, but safer route and climb up. But that would require privacy, as well as a commotion. One which Mito and Goshi were right onto.

"Sometimes I really hate these jobs." He replied as he eyed the structure of the building for what it felt like the hundredth time, planning where to place each foot to climb it up and down as fast as possible. Getting into a place was always easy. Getting out of it was a totally different matter.

Next to him Sayuri chuckled.

"You always say that." She replied smiling, giving him a weird look, eyes only being partially visible under her hood.

"I always say that, but in the end I'm still taking those jobs. Talking about a legacy-"

He stopped as his eyes spotted a tiny shimmer on the roof of the house behind them. Any civilian would just think of it as a reflection of the moon, made by the dormer windows which stood out like the tip of a mountain to the rest of the roof top. No one would even think of a small person hiding behind those images of pomp and that was why Shigure was using them to deliver her sign. The operation had started.

"Sayuri, I'll leave the rest to you." Guren told her, as he took of his coat and handed it over to her. He knew that she would follow the orders given to her beforehand. With that he slowly left the comforting security of the trees and stepped closer to the light, that made him feel like thousand eyes were watching him. He stayed there for a few seconds, taking in the silence and waiting for the alarm to be sounded. It was easier to escape when he was discovered now, than when he was already dangling from the balcony two storeys up high.

Guren didn't need to look back to confirm Sayuri being gone, since he wasn't able to sense her presence anymore. The wind picked up a bit, carrying over sounds and voices from the road nearby. Were those due to the commotion or just a group of carefree young nobles, enjoying their night lives as they were spending the fortune of their parents on women and gambling? For a second Guren thought he heard Mito's outraged yelling over the steady mumbling of the rest of the people. Seemed like those two were giving their best as well, putting all their expectations on him.

He didn't want to disappoint them.

The next moment he climbed the stairs of the terrace, a chill creeping over his body with the warmth of the cloak gone now. His steps sounded off the polished marble on the ground as he walked over to the seating area, near the huge windows of the hall. Nobody had bothered to take the table and chairs inside with the naive believe that strangers wouldn't be able to enter the back yard. What would those damn nobles think, if they saw him polluting their furniture with his dirty shoes? He had to smile as he imagined the faces of all the people that had looked down on him, calling him a piece of shit. Just like the one under his shoes with which he was covering the table right now.

Jumping lightly, Guren grabbed the top of the parapet attached to the balcony on the first floor. Placing his feet on said balcony he kept his momentum by jumping again, using the parapet as a stepping stone. Like that he was able to enter almost every noble's home, if the security was lacking this much.

What a piece of cake. He thought as he finally jumped horizontally from one balcony to the other and landed gracefully right in front of the glass door of the study. Turning around to confirm any signals Shigure and Sayuri were might sending him, he exhaled his breath slowly, taking in the noises, echoing from the front of the building.

"I never expected something like this to happen in this neighborhood."

"What the hell are the guards doing? Seems like people can't even cross the road nowadays, without those bastards coming after you."

"Why does this have to happen in front of the Master's home? Thank god he's out tonight."

It seemed like the garden up front was crowded with worried people. Guren wondered a second what kind of performance Goshi and Mito had come up with, though he didn't really care as long as it sufficed its purpose and kept the people away from the study. Crouching down in front of the door, Guren inspected the lock with the bit of twilight the moon was giving him, while getting his lock picking tools out. The lock was an ordinary one with no safety measures, so he simply slid a skeleton key into the keyhole and eased the door with a light clicking sound open. A gush of warm air met him right after, as he entered the study. He had heard of a new form of architecture, where pipes were running through the walls, flooded with boiling water, heated up by a huge oven downstairs. With this the staff didn't need to prepare the fireplaces hours beforehand to get a fairly pleasant temperature in the rooms, during the cold months of fall and winter. The old man must have been in very high spirits as he had planned the construction, even using new inventions like these. Had he asked the Hiragis for permission beforehand? Guren wondered if they would allow a household to live more comfortable than themselves in their palace. Knowing the imperial family, he was certain they would take it as an insult, if someone was more advanced than them. Under normal circumstances they would ruin the family by framing them for some crime, confiscating anything they found interesting in the process. But most of the ten families had a separate status than the rest of the nobles, so maybe the Hiragis were rewarding them for their allegiance with this kind of treatment.

But a shrine as well as this newly built home? What had the old man done for this reward?

The moonlight illuminated only a small part of the room, the rest was pitch black, but since Guren had stayed hidden in the darkness over the entire evening his eyes adapted faster to it than usual. The study was small, containing a desk with a chair by the window, as well as an armchair next to the door, with several book shelves attached to the walls behind it. At first glance Guren couldn't see any paintings or other personal belongings. The desk was clean and tidy, with not even quill and ink lying around. It only added to the feeling of emptiness the study conveyed, in contrast to the rather overbearing outside. It almost seemed like the guy was hiding something.

Of course the drawers of the desk were locked, only confirming Guren's suspicion. Still the lock was again an easy one and a few seconds later, he pulled the drawer open.

A little golden piece, sparkling as it met with the moonlight rolled into his view, accompanied by a disarranged stack of letters. The Lord must have put them away in a hurry, to create such a mess. Giving those documents a curious glance, Guren took out the golden ring he was supposed to deliver by tomorrow, holding it up to examine the seal engraved in it.

Even though the nobles had sworn allegiance to the Hiragi family a long time ago, the houses remained suspicious, always trying to top the others in power and prestige. The nobles had been rivals for several hundred years, with houses rising and falling as intrigues and scandals unfolded. In this world of strict hierarchy and casts the ten families had a secure stand, but among the smaller noble families, some had already disappeared forever. In order to improve their social status and gain more power, they would use all kinds of ways to weaken the ones around them.

And that was how the Moon Order got into business.

Even more than ordering his clan to steal pieces of treasure some people were showing off with, nobles were desiring bits of information, that could possibly result in a scandal and impair the reputation of their rivals. Right now Rikudou used the seal of another family to promulgate dangerous documents, with no trace leading back to him. The family had been disgraced already, but if this continued and the Hiragis caught wind of it, they would surely go to prison if not being executed. Playing with people's lives like that was just disgusting. However instead of announcing their seal had been stolen and giving their rivals an opportunity to belittle them, his clients chose to get rid of the circling documents, as well as hiring a guild of robbers to get the family seal back. There was no way they could accuse one of the ten families without definite proof, so this mission was operated behind the official's backs in secrecy.

The bright moonlight was enough for him to confirm the accuracy of the seal. With a triumphant smile he threw the ring up in the air, and dropped it in a small bag, hanging on the side of his belt. Looking back at the drawer, he took out the other documents present there. As expected, Rikudou had kept a copy of the writing he had published, sealed and signed by Guren's client. The text was talking about a criminal, who had just been caught by the Hiragi's and was about to be executed by next week. It was a plea to pardon said prisoner, while motivating the reader to think about the injustice and corruption in the Hiragi's ruling. Ironically the truth was written there, but anyone who would openly agree with it, could drown his hope of a bright future in a river. Impressive, how much damage you could create with a ring and a fake signature.

A list of people killed as traitors and criminals followed at the end of the page. Letting his eyes lazily wander over the names, Guren froze as they stopped at a very familiar one. Holding his breath he stared at the name, before he closed his eyes and sighed shakily. Until now he hadn't noticed, how cold the air had gotten around him, due to the open door. Folding the piece of writing and hiding it in one of the inside pockets of his vest, Guren started examining the remaining letters. To his surprise all of those had been signed and sent by the Hiragi's and were addressed to the ten families. Since the seal was already broken, Guren opened all of them, reading the confidential content thoroughly.

Interesting. He thought, a grin appearing on his features, which didn't reach his eyes, as he put the documents into order and back to their rightful place, exactly how he had found them. He was especially careful this time as he locked the drawer up again. If someone got wind of him knowing about the content of those letters, he would get into serious trouble.

It was not really something directly written on those pieces of paper that scared him this time. It was more the meaning behind those words, which gave him a shiver, even though he didn't know what said meaning was. Looking back at the desk a last time as he locked the door, Guren wondered if this time he really had dug something up, he was not supposed to have, before he took a few steps back and disappeared in the night.

"Guren-sama!" Shigure and Sayuri called out in unison, as he reached their meeting point a few districts away from the Rikudou residents. Guren greeted them with a nod, looking around searching for the two other members of his group.

"Mito and Goshi are still not back yet." Sayuri answered his silent question, exchanging an uncomfortable look with Shigure.

"What happened?" It couldn't be that they got caught, could it?

"The commotion was too big. People of the other residences got attracted as well. So..."

Sayuri stopped, as loud voices became audible in the distance. A woman and a man were having an argument, obviously not caring about the late hour and the sleep of the people living around them.

"It hurts! Ahhh it hurts! Why did you have to slap me so hard?"

"Because you deserved it, that's why!"

"That's not an explanation Mito-chan!"

With this the two came into view. Seeing Guren, Shigure and Sayuri already waiting for them, they fastened their steps and made their way over.

"See! Because of your unnecessary action, we are late and everyone had to wait for us. Indeed very professional."

Even in the poorly lit street Guren could see Mito's face had turned a few shades darker, now almost as red as her hair. One could feel anger radiating off her with every step she took, her hair, bound in a pony tail, jumping up and down as if to symbolize her inner turmoil. The black toupee in her hands was a mess, since she carelessly waved it around, to distract herself. She stopped right in front of Guren, arms folded in front of her chest and clearly irritated.

"There is no way I'm working alone with this guy ever again."

She pointed to Goshi, who was following behind her, shoulders hanging and clearly done for today. One hand was raised to his face, gently touching a dark spot there. Nevertheless he smiled as he joined the group.

"Yo guys! Did everything go according to plan?" He smiled at Shigure and Sayuri, before he gave Guren an apologetic look.

"At least on our end. Why are you late? What happened?"

"Well..." Goshi trailed off, still rubbing his cheek. He glanced over to Mito, before he faced the rest again.

"The commotion worked too well -"

"Goshi is a pig -"

Both stopped and looked at each other. Mito was the first to find her voice again.

"You call that a commotion?"

"It worked didn't it? I thought you were committed to your work."

"Well yeah..." She paused for a moment - speechless - but the anger forced her to speak again. "But not like that, you damn idiot."

A slapping sound, accompanied by a cry were echoing through the street as Mito hit Goshi a second time.

"Seriously, for what did I deserve that?" Goshi cried, now holding his other cheek as well.

"Guys." Guren's voice silenced both of them. "Report now."

Guilt was mixed in their eyes, as Mito and Goshi glanced at each other. Then they straightened up, switching back into professionals.

"Apparently, Goshi's commotion was to openly harass me, without letting me in on the plan."

"And since she reacted all but rationally, people thought it to be real."

"It was REAL!" Mito yelled, eyes throwing daggers at the man beside her. "However, I did indeed react very rash, so the people we drew the attention from, wanted to help me. And then..."

"They got a hold of me." Goshi finished. "And tried to calm down Mito-chan. In the end someone wanted to even walk her home."

"Someone contacted the guards as well, so we had to hurry and get out of there, before they would lock Goshi up. This guy eventually made a dash for it, while I needed to pretend to be the shaken up young lady, who was very glad for the help she was receiving. In the end I just walked up to an entrance of a random residence and told my guardians to leave, since my father wouldn't want to see me coming home with strangers late at night."

In addition to his sleepiness Guren could feel the pounding of a head ache coming up, as he lowered his head and rubbed his eyes.

"Do I have to remind you, what the Moon Order stands for?"

Seeing Mito and Goshi avoiding his gaze, as their eyes wandered to the ground was answer enough. Still granting the information he had received this night, maybe the extra time those guys gave him had paid off well.

"Did you at least get the ring?" Mito asked quietly.

"I did. And even more than that." Guren answered, as he turned around and walked off. "Let's go home, before I laugh my ass off, because of the stupid faces you two are making." Head turning to the side he smirked at them, which resulted in their features lighting up.

"So the mission was a success?" Mito asked, voice mixed with doubt.

"For me, it went pretty smooth because of you guys." Guren said as he looked up into the night sky. He wondered about the letters he read tonight and what he would do with the information. What were the Hiragi's planning in the future? How would that involve the nobles, the city and the Moon Order? Guren couldn't tell at the moment.

He also imagined the situation Goshi and Mito had been in and wondered if he would have been amused, if he had seen it. Guren hated to admit it, but sometimes these jobs weren't so bad.

"So yeah. It was a success."

Yuu shifted as a shiver ran down his body, pulling his thin blanket closer with the desperate hope to keep the cold away. The attempt proved to be useless, so he pulled his knees to his chest and folded his trembling hands in front of his face, to warm them up with his unsteady breath.

This all would not have been necessary, if he had been there.

All cuddled up like this, Yuichiro listened to the shallow breathing of the smaller kids and looked up at the dark ceiling. How much longer would it take Mika to get home? During the first nights Yuu hadn't noticed his absence. The guy was always back by morning, though he usually looked tired as hell. But soon after that, Yuu's nightmares returned and he woke up in the middle of the night and Mika's soothing breath next to him, that would normally lull him back to sleep, was gone. Especially in cold nights like this he missed the company of his friend, who somehow always ended up clinging to Yuu by morning. Yuu would complain about it, but secretly he was glad, since Mika chased away the cold. If Mika was there, he could sleep peacefully. But now with his friend gone and worries flouting back and forth in his mind, Yuu asked himself again, why the guy had to go through such lengths to support them. They were a family after all. They would figure something out. He didn't need to carry the entire burden by himself!

The door to the floor finally opened and with small and silent steps Mika entered the room. Eyes sticking out from under the blanket, Yuu watched the other, who carefully made his way over, while avoiding stepping on the snuggled up children. Before his friend could properly see him though, Yuu turned around to face the other direction. Mika would always smile when he got back, no matter what had happened and it felt like a stab to Yuichiro's heart. More than anything he feared the day when this smile would disappear from those features. He wouldn't let it get this far.

"I'm back." Mika whispered with a voice light and clear as glass, while he slipped under his blanket and shifted closer to Yuu. The boy didn't reply nor did he turn around. He never did and still the other said these words every night. With Mika's comforting presence snuggled up behind his back, he relaxed a bit as the worries of the night slowly faded. One thought remained though, before the sleep overcame him.

He needed to protect Mika at all cost and prevent this smile from vanishing forever.