Chapter 2- Plus One
-December 20th, 11:16 AM :Aiko-
I was walking. Again. Whoopee…
After the fight last night I had paid and went home. I really didn't want to stick around with the womanizer whose pride was injured. Now, here I was walking through the same neighborhood, a strange sense of foreboding settled in the air, as I was on my way to movies with some friends. Something just wasn't right but I couldn't but a finger on it. I shrugged mentally; it probably didn't mean anything to me.
I rounded a corner to find no one of the streets yet shouts resounded throughout the surrounded street. I looked left and right and then left again, still not finding the source of the shouts. I realized too late a figure approaching from behind on the left. I felt immediate pain as something struck the back of my skull. I fell forward, my knees smacking against the cement then my palms as I attempted to catch myself. I stayed there, on my hands and knees, for a moment as my attacker shuffled around me.
"You thought you could run away, red clansmen."
Red clansmen? What was he talking about?
"What the hell are you talking about?" I pushed myself up onto my knees. My attacker stood in front of me, sporting a blue coat, black pants and boots. He was holding a sword within its scabbard above my head.
"I'm talking about you HOMRA thugs and running away from a fight."
Homra? Wasn't that the name of the bar I went to last night?
"I don't know what thugs or what fight you're talking about." I growled, shooting him a death glare.
Shouts resounded again, this time louder and obviously closer. Then came footsteps, pounding footsteps, maybe two or three people. My attacker glanced to our left and I took the opportunity. Shoving myself off the ground I felt my fist connect with his cold cheek. He grunted and stumbled backwards, pricks of blood pooling where my knuckles connected. It was then I realized I was wearing rings, my rings had added to the affect of my revenge.
"What the hell did you do to my face, bitch!?"
"Honestly, I think it's an improvement." My voice was chipper which just infuriated him.
He charged at me while drawing his sword. I ducked and brought my right knee up, successful kneeing him in his baby-maker. He grunted as he landed on his back before rolling over, groaning in pain.
"I don't know who you thought I was but you really shouldn't have gotten me involved." I kicked him in the back of the knee for good measure.
"Well that was interesting."
Shocked by the voice I spun around to see the girl from the bar last night, Kita.
I noticed her brother, Kusanagi, leaning up the wall behind her, smoking. "Good to know she can protect herself."
"She probably would have kicked Chitose's sorry ass if they had actually gotten in a fight last night."
"H-HOMRA…thugs-s…" Stutters my attacker as he continues to roll around in pain. Guess I knee-ed him a bit too hard.
Kita frowned and strode over to the blue-clad man and squatted down next to him.
"You call us thugs? You're the one who attacked a civilian."
Shocked crossed his features as he eyed me, then Kita, then me again. I heard chuckles coming from Kusanagi as Kita just smirked at the man.
"Get out of here." Kita scoffed as she stood up "Your clansmen have already left."
The blue man took her hint and scurried off, taking his half-drawn sword with him.
The way Kita and Kusanagi were acting contrasted to their attitudes last night. Kita had simply seemed like a friendly girl who liked messing around with the guys. Now she was harsh and a tad bit violent too. Her brother had gone from a bartender who was overly worried about his bar to a cool headed man who watched his sister taunt my attacker.
"She was impressive." A red haired man appeared from around the grey buildings corner. He was pushing back his bright hair.
"Can she?" Kusanagi and the red-head exchange what seemed to be a very knowing glance.
"Seriously?" Kita smiled, obviously knowing what was going on between the two men.
"Yes." The red-head's voice was deep and rough, giving me the chills or maybe it was the fact that his hard amber eyes were trained on me.
"Ikedea-san." Kita's voice distracted me from the nameless man. "We would like to know if you'd be interested in joining HOMRA."
"HOMRA? As in the gang HOMRA?" I wasn't stupid, I'd lived in Shizume City almost all my life, I knew of the 'legendary gang'.
"Well we aren't really a gang." Kita answers, scuffing her boot against the sidewalk. "People make us out as the bad guys but we really aren't." Something about her had changed again, she seemed to be more like she had last night; calm, kind of quiet and friendly.
"Why do you want me to join you guys?" Was my next question. Of all people, why me?
"You're obviously physically strong." Kusanagi grinds his cigarette into the wall behind his as he starts to explain. "And last night we saw that you have a strong will. Not many girls would go picking fights in a bar."
"Plus, now that Mr. Blue has seen you with and around us you're on their radar. It's possible you could become a target." Adds Kita
"Who was he?"
"A grunt from Scepter 4." Explains Kita
"Isn't Scepter 4 a police force?" Why would the police target me?
"That's just their cover. They're like us." Now Kita was starting to lose me.
"A gang?"
"No." She pauses, trying to turn her thoughts into words. "It's hard to explain. We can't really tell you unless you become a HOMRA member."
"Sure."
"Huh?" She gives me a blank stare.
"I'll join you guys."
"Really?" A smile crept onto Kita's features, making her look younger.
"You do realize this is not some club that you can join and then leave when you feel like it, correct?" Questions Kusanagi
"I understand."
"Testing time!" Kita looks like she's going to jump for joy or something.
"Test? What test?"
"The test that determines if you can join HOMRA." She sounds like it's painfully obvious.
"Wasn't this enough of a test?!" I shout, waving my arms around the gloomy side street scene.
"Oh, it's nothing like this. Just a little test that Mikoto issues." She sounds so chipper and calm, it's a bit unnerving.
"Mikoto? San?"
Kusanagi gestures to the red haired man. "Mikoto Souh; the King of HOMRA."
Oh…okay then…
I take a deep breath, though I'm not sure why I'm suddenly worried about this man, before taking a few hesitant steps towards him and his grim face.
"What's your name?"
"Aiko Ikeda."
"Well then Ikeda-san." He held his large hand out as if he was greeting a friend. Without thinking to much about it I extended my own. Before my hand met his though there was a flash of red. I looked towards his hand, confused.
It was cloaked in fire. His hand was on fire!
His hand was on fire?
This reeked of Kita's so called 'little test'.
But still, his hand is on fire?
I puffed out my cheeks in annoyance. I was over-thinking this. Way over-thinking it. I internally shrugged before gripping the red head's hand.
I wasn't burning up or in any sort of pain so I figured it couldn't actually be fire. Though I quickly detected a slight warmth. Nowhere close to a burning sensation, it was a comfortable warmth on the slightly chilly winter afternoon. It traveled up my arm then filled my torso, giving me the sudden urge to smile. As strangely as it came it faded away.
We both withdrew our hands, the hints of a smile gracing the stoic mans face.
"Welcome to HOMRA."
Kita was obviously overjoyed with my membership, saying something about not being the only girl around anymore. I would have asked what she was talking about if I hadn't checked my watch.
I was going to miss the movie I had planned to meet Nina at.
"I'll catch you guys at the bar tonight!" I shout before dashing away.
-December 20th, 7:30 PM :Kita-
"So there's going to be another girl in HOMRA?" Questions Kamamoto as he continues to eat his extremely large dinner.
"That's bull. Girls shouldn't be fighting." Scoffs Yata.
"Excuse me?" I swivel around to face to the auburn haired boy.
"I-I didn't mean anything by it…"
It was always entertaining to watch Yata get flustered. Normally he isn't too bad around me but when I get to teasing him, well let's just say I sometimes have a bit too much fun with it. He often walks right into it too, like now.
"Sure ya' didn't."
"Honest!"
"Don't give him too hard of a time, Kita." Chides my brother.
"Aww, Kusanagi-san, don't spoil the fun." I felt someone's folded arms on my shoulders, leaning into me. Judging by the voice it was Totsuka. "Yata-san is a big boy, he can take Kita-chan's treasing."
"I feel like that was still an insult, Totsuka-san." Yata grumbles, standing up as he goes to sit elsewhere.
"Well beanie-boy there seemed pretty pissed." Ikeda said, sliding into Yata's vacated seat.
I give a slight chuckle as he shoots her a glare from across the bar. "That's Yata-san. You'll find that he's a bit touchy sometimes."
"I see…"
"Though I wouldn't get in a fight with him." Warns Totsuka.
"He is our vanguard for a reason."
"That squirt is a vanguard?" Ikeda glances around me at Yata, she's lucky he didn't hear her. Though Totsuka heard her loud and clear.
"Haha! I like her already." He swung his arm around her shoulder and the other around mine. "You picked up a good one Kita-chan."
"Only you could make it sound weird like that Totsuka-san…" I mumble.
"Well it's nice to know I'm already liked around here." Smirks Ikeda, spinning around in her bar stool.
"Are we going to get an introduction with the new girl or are Kita-chan and Totsuka-san gonna' hog her all night?" Asks Kamamoto as he finally puts down his fork and stops eating.
"Fine. Fine. Everyone can gather around if they want." Calls out Totsuka, lifting his arm from my shoulder.
Tonight there were no costumers so we could speak freely with our new member.
And trust me everyone did. Somehow, amongst the chattering guys (I've never heard a group of guys talk so much, it was worse than a gaggle of high school girls) she got the gist of HOMRA. Or at least I think she did. She met everyone, including Anna (who left Mikoto's side for a record length of time) though Chitose didn't talk nearly as much. To be honest I don't think he talked at all, which would be a new record for that flirt.
Ikeda was on her way out when I finally got a chance to talk with her.
"Ikeda-san."
"You don't have to be so formal. Call me Aiko." She says, shrugging on her jacket.
"Girls have to stick together?" I ask with a smirk.
"With this crowd, for sure."
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