Chapter Two

Flicker

Everything was blurry. Too blurry for Rei's liking. Ruby eyes fluttered open, bringing back darkness and light with each bat of her eyelashes. Everything was cold. Too cold. Then again, Rei always got very cold very easily. Her head ached and throbbed and she didn't want to wane out of her dreamless sleep. She couldn't remember much and at first the 22 year-old thought she had a hangover, but then she remembered the Red Clansmen, including their King. It took a while for her mind to register the recent events and then she realized exactly what had happened. Rei's eyes opened wide, and despite the look of surprise on her hidden face, she said her words very calmly. "Damn bastard made me his Clansman…" After those words she held a scowl on her face and buried herself deeper into the black covers. Was someone smoking? Rei couldn't help but want to sneeze at the strong smell of cigarettes and the slight trace of alcohol. "Wait a minute…" Tense, she lifted her head from over the "covers."

"Gah!" Rei threw off the black jacket that belonged to no one other than Mikoto Suoh. She literally cringed as far back as the couch she once again had woken up on allowed, and Tobi, who never left her side, let out an alarmed bark and then, like he was reading her mind, turned his curled lips on the King that sat over at the bar counter, growling lowly. "Where is everyone?" She couldn't help but feel even colder after seeing how empty the bar was. Rei didn't like it. Being alone with him was like having to drink sulfuric acid like it was Champaign. Painful and slow. In other words; torture.

"I sent Yata and Kamamoto to get your stuff, Totsuka is up stairs and Kusanagi is in the kitchen." That was the most words she'd heard from him in five years. Rei cocked an eyebrow and looked at Mikoto suspiciously.

"And your lackeys know where my house is? How?" If her knives weren't once again confiscated, she would've threw a couple at him by know. The King looked like he'd just woken up himself. Figures.

"You really should put a lock on your phone,"

Rei deadpanned even more, her eyes like daggers at the King. "Why are you helping me? I didn't want this," She opened her clenched fist and let the Red Aura work its magic and a flame lit up in her palm, then closed her hands, smothering out the flame and then redirecting her gaze at Mikoto. He didn't seem to falter from his casual, bored self as he watched her. The way he looked as though he couldn't care less was irritating to the pale haired woman. The King shrugged and looked the other way, the idea of picking up his limp jacket from the floor below him hadn't crossed his mind and instead he lit the cigarette that he held loosely between his lips. Rei rolled her eyes and looked to her left, scoffing lightly at the sight of Tobi being held against his will by her snoozing sister. Anna looked peaceful with her arms wrapped tightly around Tobi's neck, completely in the harmless world of slumber despite the tension in the air. Reina's features softened and she almost grinned. Her sister had grown a lot in the past five years. Anna was no longer a three-year old.

Rei let her body fall back into the couch and she curled up like a cat, closing her eyes. "Kusanagi cooks?" The idea came to a surprise to her. Last she saw him he was nothing more than a waiter. Now he had a bar. And he cooked. Some much has changed.

Mikoto just simply glanced at her with a slight gleam of amusement in his eyes. That was a yes. Rei sighed and looked up at the ceiling, her gaze sharp, yet tender. Her mind back tracked to the past five years. So much has happened not only to her but her old friends as well. The pale woman noticed the goosebumps on her arms and curled deeper into the couch. Some things still remained; her tendency to get cold easily was one. She cast a glance at Mikoto who seemed to snooze off silently while sitting up. "And his habit of sleeping hasn't waned either." She grumbled and closed her eyes, listening for any sign of the other Clansmen's return.

"Ah! Rei-chan, you woke up!" An over enthusiastic voice called out and Rei opened one eye to peek over at the stair case where Tatara Totsuka stood, an old-timey recorder in his hand was angled at her. She blocked the camera lens from her face and scowled.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" Rei growled, glaring at the veteran from behind her hand.

Tatara beamed and titled his head away from the scope, a slight chuckle escaped his mouth. "Gomen." He said a little too happily and continued recording her. His way of saying nicely that he didn't and would continue to record his surroundings.

"You'll lose a hand or two if you don't watch yourself. Why do you have that old piece of junk anyway?" Rei grumbled, hiding herself in the corner of the couch. She couldn't help but feel completely vulnerable and naked without her blades. And the Clansman had to wonder, Who had the guts to take off Hot Stuff? Ah, well. She made a mental note to kill whomever neared her thigh while she was unconscious. If she'd ever find out. "Can't you just film things on your phone?"

Totsuka pouted and shut off the camera. "But, if I do that, then it wouldn't be a hobby!"

Rei once again glowered at the veteran. "I forgot that you like to take up stupid activities. I'm surprised you haven't started knitting, yet," She said bluntly and began to play with her hair, braiding a small strand and then unbraiding it. Part of her mind was focused on the fact that she was insane enough to stay here for another minute.

"Not yet!" Totsuka beamed and sat down on a bar stool next to his King. "Hey, do you still paint and all that?" Rei stopped her actions and stared at her still hands, concentrated on the past. How long had it been since she picked up a can of spray-paint? Let alone a paint-brush. Naturally, she didn't give a straight answer, her frozen figure going back to her action of braiding her hair.

"Depends, you got a canvas?" She kept her cool and didn't make eye contact with anyone. Rei was used to the action. The only way she could break out of her best acts was by making eye contact and talking to the person straight forward. She didn't expect an answer from Totsuka, so she just regarded any thoughts of having to touch a can of spray-paint.

"Well," As Totsuka began to speak, Rei turned sharp, ruby colored eyes on the man, narrow and a bit angry. "We do have that room-"

"I said she could stay in that room, not vandalize it," Izumo decided to walk into the room from the kitchen, a slightly angrier look on his face as he glared at Totsuka who was about to suggest the worst. Rei couldn't help herself but to chuckle at the two before continuing the braid of a long strand of hair. She never got why people always told her to get a hair-cut. So what if she hasn't touched her hair since she was twelve? "Speaking of which, did you clean it out, like I asked?"

Totsuka just laughed and waved away the slightly irritated look on Izumo's face, shutting off his camera and place it in his lap. "Of course, it's all clean; I don't think Rei will like it, though," Rei hated being talked about as though she weren't there.

Kusanagi let his shades slide to the tip of his nose as he stared down both Clansmen, his eyes narrow. "Oh, and why not?"


Reina literally wanted to kill herself. This room was awful and disgusting. She didn't even start to consider staying at this bar and she already knew it'd take ten men to get her more than two steps into that room. Heat burned off her cold skin and she stared deeper into the bland, white, tempting walls. "This…is a disgrace," The pale haired woman hissed and despite feeling Kusanagi's hateful glare from behind her, she still continued on to insult his beloved building. "Izumo-kun, I thought you had more creativity than this, and you expected me to even consider thinking about staying here? Please, not even if you forced me." Rei walked on to the wall and glowered at its dull color. "Even if you managed to lock me in here without any material to paint, I would still make she's walls a bit more lively with my own blood." She finally tilted her head to the side to meet Izumo's ever darkening gaze. In all honesty, she was doing this more for fun than to get to her point about how dull this room was, no matter how truthful it was to how tempting it was to do some splatter paint in there. "It's that bad, Izumo-kun,"

"What did I tell ya'?" Totsuka beamed from Izumo's side and gestured towards Rei. "I have to agree with her, this room is boring," The third in command pretended to swoon in a faint-full way. "Oh, ever so dull, it is,"

"Shut up!" Kusanagi snapped and smacked Tatara upside his head. Totsuka winced but his smile didn't fade as he chuckled and looked back up at his friend. Izumo growled at him one last time before returning a slightly less angered look at Rei, who just looked at them with an amused smirk. "Reina, you do not have to stay here, but since you've nowhere else to go, I figured it'd be nice to offer, anyway,"

"It's a nice offer, but unless I get the right to paint this, I'd rather live in a trashcan," Rei said flatly.

"Didn't you say you would never pick up another paintbrush again, Onee-sama?" The small voice caught Rei off guard, and once again she had to refresh her memory of her little sister's powers. Hell, she didn't even know Anna was around at the time, for all she knew, her little sister was still sleeping on the couch with Tobi. But sure enough, Anna came too and over to the room that the HOMRA veterans presented, with the cedar colored canine at one side and the other a rather bored and casual looking, red haired King. Couldn't he have just stayed asleep?

Totsuka turned surprised, light brown eyes on the girl and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from swearing to herself. It was always a bad habit of hers to swear. A lot. She had such foul language, and sometimes she did care, sometimes she didn't. The only times she cared was when she was around her little sister, though. Rei sighed and brushed her hand through her thick, white hair. "Eh, I'm still considering it…It's been a while, Anna-chan, since I've even seen a paintbrush." She tch'd and looked back at the white walls. She couldn't help but want to laugh at herself; she was calling something painted the dull color of white, and she had white hair. How boring… "Besides, I doubt I'm even that good now; it's been five years, after all."

Rei could hear Kusanagi sigh bitterly, and she looked over at the blond to see him hanging his head, rubbing his temples. "I guess I could give you the right to paint it, if you decide to." Once again, the pale haired girl was caught off-guard by unexpected words. But the surprise didn't last long, when she returned her signature, smug, half smile, a taunting glint in her ruby colored eyes.

"Oh really? And you won't call it graffiti?" Rei decided to be cruel, taunting the bartender with words that foreshadowed a design with spray-paint, other than just a simple coat of a color of splatter paint. Kusanagi flinched at her words, and she could clearly see the man seething with a boiling rage. She was going to enjoy her stay here.

"N-No…I won't call it graffiti, no matter what you choose to do,"


Flashback

Reina pulled off her surgical mask and threw away her last can of white spray paint. Looking up at her creation, she smiled slightly, placing her hands on her hips and tilting her head to get just the perfect image in her head of her newest masterpiece. The thought of the school forcing her to paint over it with the former color- a very dull and old looking beige, mind you- didn't even haunt her mind. Nope, not one bit did her mind drift to the consequences of her creation. Rei was happy and that's all a fifteen-year old needed in this world. Satisfied with her work, the pale haired teen walked over to her bag, slightly kicking away empty cans of spray paint, and she dug into the front pocket and pulled out an old flip-phone. The teen rested one hand on her hip and tilted her head after dialing in a number and holding the phone to her ear.

At this time, Rei was slightly shorter with a more childish look to herself. Her hair was shorter, at least to the middle of her back, and wasn't in as many layers at it was as a young adult. Her eyes weren't as piercing and her features weren't as sharp. She wore the tradition school uniform, even though she loathed the skirt. Shorts she could handle, but not skirts. And the shoes didn't help either. Urg! If it weren't for her King, she wouldn't have to wear this. She didn't care what the school board thought, but she didn't fear what hell her King could unleash on her. Though, if the teen could have it her way, she'd be wearing combat boots, a simple band t-shirt and jeans. Ah, well.

It only took two rings for her friend, Tatara Totsuka to answer his phone. "Konichiwa, Rei-chan! Eh…but why didn't you call the others? You know my phone's about dead!" Totsuka pouted through the phone speaker. Rei just sighed and rolled her eyes, hoping that somehow he knew what she was doing.

"I called you because Izumo forgot his phone, and there's no way in bat shit crazy hell I'll be calling Mikoto…" Rei explained and paced infront of the wall, making sure to keep an eye out for any teachers. She was not willing to have to explain once again to the school staff about her 'vandalism.' If you could even call it that. Personally, Rei thought her creations were art that should be well respected. Or else.

"You're so picky, Rei-chan! Anyway, what is it you need?"

"Come check out what I did at the back of the school! It's sick, Totsuka-san!" Once again, enthusiasm and that old, skater-like attitude came back to the teenager as she looked back at her work, smiling like hell about it.

"Oh, Rei-chan, don't tell me you brought-" Totsuka sounded very shameful and disappointed in Rei, and at first the pale haired teen had no idea what idea he was getting until she realized it quite clearly.

"No, no, no!" Rei waved her hands, as though her classmate was right infront of her. "I didn't do that! It's a new art project I've been working on since this morning."

"Oh! So is that where you've been for the past eight hours! For shame, Rei-chan!" Totsuka taunted. "I was wondering where you were in biology…and algebra, and…" His list went on, and that Reina knew, so she decided to cut him off while she can. She hated waiting and wasting time.

"Just get over here, god damnit!" The teenager snapped into the phone and hung up, slapping the palm of her hand on her forehead. How she put up with Totsuka, she could not begin to fathom. She looked back at her design, and her smile frowned. There was something wrong. Everything was perfect all the way to the flame detail to the thorns on the stem…but something was wrong. Rei picked up a can of red spray-paint and got to her work again, adjusting the length of one of the petals of the scorched roses and then adding a more burned detail to the base. This was true art to her. Beauty within destruction. People always told her she had a real talent, before she'd just be bashful and deny it, but sudden confident boasts made her a stonewall to criticism. Humming to herself, she began on the background of her masterpiece, which she was debating between more flames or something more creative and have the burning rose on a puddle of gasoline. Her ideas made Rei want to bring her art more to life, but the last time she lit something on purpose for an artistic reason, she was suspended for two weeks and then given a very hateful punishment for it.

Rei would never go a week without getting the latest orders and info from the rest of the Clan.

"Rei-chan!" Reina flinched at the voice, afraid that it was a teacher or something, but the vocal patterns registered soon enough and she realized it was another enthusiastic greeting from Totsuka. That was quick… The pale haired woman turned her head to face her friends…and an unwelcomed red head, but she smiled none the less and waved them over before continuing on the platinum-like surface of painted gasoline. Totsuka hurried to her side and looked up at the large mural. "Wow, Rei! This is awesome!"

"Isn't this graffiti?" Reina's jaw clenched and she cast a side glance at Kusanagi, who stood not far away at his friend's side, looking up at the painting. How dare he call her work graffiti?! The teen hissed at herself and shook the now empty can of silver paint before trying once more to get paint out of it and then casting it aside.

"It's art," She stated simply, continuing her work, though she was thinking about calling it a day soon.

"Are you one of those people who call graffiti art and people have a right to express themselves on private property?" Mikoto inquired with that irritated and rarely heard deep voice of his. Once again, Rei threw daggers at him, but he still stared at her with dull, amber eyes.

"No, this is art. Graffiti is just stupid, sloppy writing done by a bunch of dumbass brats that have nothing better to do with their lives and have an uncreative mind." Even though her words were harsh, her tone of voice was calm as she continued with the platinum surface. "This is art." She repeated.

"This is vandalism." Kusanagi grunted. Angered, Rei threw another empty can at the blond with harsh words.

"Shut the fuck up, Blondie!"


After the others left, Rei walked through the room, sitting herself on the lone bed and sighing. What in the world of hell brought her to this place? She was doing just fine without the Red Clan. Sure, she was running for her life from bullets and very angry gang members who had her as a prisoner for over a year…But, she could help herself perfectly fine. So, why in hell did fate lead her here? Why did she have to run into some of the main members of HOMRA of all people in that warehouse? Not that she'd be happier once again under the Yakuza's lock and key. There was also another question that haunted her mind.

What in hell was going through Mikoto's mind when he made her a Clansman again? Rei thought that he hated her, and she hated him in return. Once again, the pale haired girl sighed and ran her hand through her hair. This was frustrating. Why couldn't life be simple and logical?

Well, if it was like that, Rei would be bored out of her mind.

"Onee-sama?" Rei was really starting to get annoyed of Anna's habit of sneaking up on her. Though, instead of snarling at her little sister, Rei turned her head to the loli dressed eight-year-old and smiled.

"Hey, Anna-chan," She said in that sweet tone of hers. Anna nodded and walked up to her, climbing onto the bed, Tobi following close behind and curling up in between the two. Rei was happy that Tobi was getting along with her sister. It was one less thing to worry about now that she'd be staying with HOMRA and seeing her sister every day. "How've you been?"

"Good," Anna answered simply and yawned, laying her head in Rei's lap. The motion was so natural, yet it made her flinch. It'd been so long since she'd talked to her sister, yet here they were acting as though they've been with each other for a while. Anna's ruby eyes trailed to the bare walls. "What will you paint?"

Rei started brushing out Anna's long, snowy locks and sighed, looking at the white walls as well. "I dunno…what do you want me to paint?" She inquired with a hum in her voice as she started to braid Anna's hair. Her hair also got really long in the past five years. She still had those cute bangs, though.

"Can it be red?" Anna asked quietly, looking up at her sister with wide eyes. Rei grinned at her and thought on it. Once again she had to remind herself of her sister, and that included her color blindness. The only color she could see was red. Kinda made Rei feel bad for the girl, in an artist's way of thinking. She could only see the red in art. Not that red wasn't a good color.

"Do you know what color travels farthest?" Rei inquired with a tilt of her head, straight, snowy lock fell off her shoulder and lightly touched Anna's cheek as the girl looked up at her older sister. Anna blinked twice, indicating she didn't know and once again her innocent appearance made Rei scoff lightly. Tobi huffed, looking at her with wide green eyes that pleaded an answer, much like Anna's eyes. "It's red."


It was sunset, and Rei was getting pretty pissed that Yata and Kamamoto hadn't returned with her things. Patience wasn't her best characteristic. Rei sat on a bar stool, cross legged and shaking her right leg, her jaw was clenched and her long, silver hair pooled in her lap and over her hands. A low growl was beginning to start in her chest as she watched the sun set from outside of the bar. She could hear subtle chatter between Totsuka, Kusanagi, and some other HOMRA boys, Bando- a very shaded man with dark glasses and always wore his hood over his head- and Shouhei- a boyish looking man that wore a ball cap. It was all background noise to her, she was too content on the sun setting and the door than anything else.

"So…how'd you meet Mikoto, Totsuka, and Kusanagi?" A question directed at her made Rei's jaw clench and then unclench as she turned at Shohei. Kusanagi stood behind the bar counter, while Totsuka was fiddling with his guitar on the couch, Shouhei took a seat next to Rei, and Bando was standing next to him. Both HOMRA boys were looking at Rei, probably expecting her to answer. Great.

Rei took in a breath and looked at the ceiling. "I met Izumo-kun through Mikoto, and Totsuka I knew as the class saint since middle school." She explained, purposely leaving out one specific story. Though, it seemed both men noticed her fluke. They stared at her with expecting looks. Ignoring them, she continued to stare at the door, trying to shut out their presences and voices.

"So what about Mikoto?"

Rei was about to answer when she glanced over Bando's shoulder to see the King himself standing by the stairs. She tch'd and looked away, and she heard the faint noise of him grunting his amusement. "Do you want to have the honor? After all, more than likely I'll change it up to make you sound like a total asshole about it.," She snickered at the redhead.

"Hn…" Mikoto sighed and rolled his shoulders back, looking at the ceiling. Rei rolled her eyes at the King. "Let's just say in the end, she murdered someone…" Shohei spit out some of his drink and shot a quick glance at Mikoto to make sure he wasn't joking before gawking at Rei, who only stared at the King with a hateful glare. After a few seconds, the woman crossed her arms and looked the other way.

"I didn't kill her, just severed an artery. It's your fault anyway," She protested and was about to continue her counter when the door flew open. Rei's head snapped to the two HOMRA boys that came through, both were the ones she was waiting for. Great. Yata sulked from behind Kamamoto as they came through, both looked shameful. All of the sudden Rei wasn't as thrilled as she once was. "What the hell took you so long?!" She snapped. Generally, it shouldn't take over three hours to get to her place, get her stuff, and get out. The only thing she could think of that would excuse them or delay them would be the Yakuza.

"For one, you got the address wrong in your phone," Yata spat, tossing her phone to her and Rei caught it and shoved it into her pocket. "By the time we got there, the place was swarming with Yakuza bastards." Rei huffed. Figures. Sighing, she got up and whistled at Tobi, deciding to take matters into her own hands. It should be as hard now that she got the Aura back.

"What did you do to piss the Yakuza off?" Kusanagi asked from behind her while Rei grabbed her dagger from the counter. The woman glanced up at the blond and scoffed.

"Let's just say I killed a bunch of people and got my hands on some pretty valuable information," She explained nonchalantly with a shrug of her shoulders. Tobi was already waiting eagerly at the door with some kind of smile on his maw. The mutt yapped at her, telling her to hurry on and she did, crossing over to the double doors and waving back at the crew. "See ya'," And Rei left without another word.

The HOMRA boys stared at the doorway where that pale haired woman exited. Silenced. Most of the gang couldn't help but ponder Rei's opinion on death and murder. She seemed so acustomed to it, but others knew she was hiding her true feelings.

"Follow her, make sure she doesn't get into any more trouble." Mikoto ordered before walking back upstairs. Anna got up from her spot on the couch and followed him, grabbing onto his sleeve.


A slight burning sensation hit Rei's neck, and she stopped on the corner of the street, pressing her palm to the side of her neck. Her fingers were cold to the touch, but the skin there was slightly warmer than the rest of her body. Rei chuckled and her jaw clenched. "So that's how it is, huh?" Tobi looked up at her, tilting his puppy-dog face, his ears drooped to the side as he peered up at her, wonder and concern in his mossy green eyes. The pale haired woman just laughed and shook her head.

"It starts out like a cold and frigid night…then comes to the spark and flicker." She whispered and removed her hand from the flame-like insignia on her neck.


Kusanagi opened the door to his King's room and sighed, seeing the red haired man completely in slumber like usual. The bartender chuckled aimlessly and leaned again the wall, pushing his glasses up his nose to get a better look around. Anna sat on the bed, looking over at Kusanagi with her marble. He couldn't help but wonder what she was seeing. Instead of speaking, the blond just nodded at her and sighed. "You awake, by any chance?" He directed at Mikoto who shifted slightly on the couch.

"More or less, what is it?" Mikoto's deep voice was muffled, but still audible. The King sat up and turned to look at his second in command. Both veterans stared at each other for a while before Totsuka came in unannounced. The youngest of the three smiled and waved at the two.

"Great, you're both here!" Totsuka quipped and shut the door quietly behind them. Mikoto simple rolled his eyes at the dirty blond.

"Of course I'm here, this is my room…" He grumbled lazily and leaned back on the couch.

Totsuka just waved his slightly rude statement away and shook off the tension. Kusanagi couldn't understand why he was so carefree for such a reckless guy. Ah, well. "A lot's happened today, huh?" The King gave an agreeing grunt and Kusanagi just looked at the ceiling, his mind wondering else were. Sorta.

"Speaking of which," The bartender began. "Why'd you take in Reina?" He finally met his King's amber gaze, a gaze that was slightly irritated of the question but also understandable. Kusanagi went straight to correcting himself of his curiosity. "I mean, you two hate each other, right? She didn't even want to go back to the Red Clan…" Now Totsuka was staring at him, wide eyed and a little surprised looking about Izumo's question.

"I did it because she needed it. Rei is a handful, but she needed to get back with the Red Clan, whether she and I liked it or not. Simple as that," Mikoto answered with a straight face, never leaving Kusanagi's stare. All three stood in silence, until Totsuka spoke. This time sounding more serious than usual.

"What do you mean she needed to come back?"

"Rei has gone cold to the core,"


A/N: Cliffhanger? xD Sorry if this wasn't top notch, especially the end….I wanted to put more into it, but…eh…The point I wanted to get across is the fact that Rei has gone completely unfeeling inside and out. She's cold as ice and all that blah-blah. Yay! Character development!

What'd ya'll think about our little Sister/Sister bonding time? By the way, the idea about what color travels farthest and that is red and all that wasn't mine! I got the idea from Kingdom Hearts when Axel is talking to Roxas at the Clock Tower and starts being somewhat of a compassionate smartass.

Anyway, leave your thoughts and critics in a review! Drop a favorite and a follow, even! Just show that love! Teehee…Speaking of which- Review Replies!

Morriel~ Thank you! I'm looking forward to more too! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Miechan-ish~ Thank you and here you go! One hot and ready update! Yeah, that's basically what Reina is…I dunno why, but I frequently find myself making OC's slightly resembling a tsundere in some way…Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!

Painted Notes~ I'm excited too, and thanks for reading Ana! Luv ya'!

Draegan88~ Oh, gawds you watch it in one go? I could never have done that…too much sadness…Well, I'm glad you liked the series and I hope you like this fanfiction!

Kenzou91~ Hehe, thanks! Here's the nice fresh and new update for you! I hope this pleases you.

Whelp, that's about it…like I said, feel free to drop a review, favorite, and follow. I'll try as hard as I can to get back to you reviewers.

Ciao!

-Bartrice