Chapter 3

What the fuck does he even know?

The organ in my chest throbbed when my old memories started flooding in. The pain I have felt was agonizing. The only reason I continued to live in this hell hole was because of them; my parents and my brother.

I was with my parents at the time of the murder. It was late at night when I heard a crash. Knowing that my parents as well as my brother were fast asleep, I got up from bed and went downstairs to take a look. I soon found myself in the kitchen. The back door was made of glass sliding planes and that's when I saw the body of a dead bird outside. A naïve little girl I was to fall for such a trick. When I got outside to rescue the poor bird, a hooded man barged into the house, shoving me aside. Everything happened so fast. I was an idiot. Out of fear, I couldn't even scream for help. Running as fast as my feet could take me, I raced up the stairs to my parents' bedroom. I threw open the door to see the man jumping out of the window, escaping.

My entire life shattered. The sight of my loved ones covered in blood was enough for me to go insane. It was not long after I was found along with my parents by my neighbor. Both my parents were pronounced dead by midnight, due to the loss of blood and injuries. They weren't stabbed once but multiple times. Even as a child, I've been told that it was a burglary. All my mother's jewelry and our money were gone. But deep inside, I knew it was a planned murder. At the same night, my brother went missing. But not even the police were able to find him. The whole thing was assumed by the police that it was no more than a burglary and kidnapping. Get it into your think skulls bastards, why take my brother? It was not like he could be used for ransom. My parents were dead. Even if it was ransom, wouldn't there be a phone call by now? Months I have waited, yet the police failed to find the suspect. This case was announced closed by the time I hit 13.

Those three years of waiting ended up in vain. There was not even a clue whoever that man was. It didn't make sense at all. The police had checked every corner of the room and not a fingerprint could be found. I was starting to think this was nothing but a terrible nightmare. My family never kept in touch with my other relatives. That had make things even harder for me to locate them. Those few years of solitude, changed me.

I needed power. I drag all those fuckers to hell.

I let out a chuckle. "Power, huh? I see you've done your homework." Switching my gaze from the blonde man to the boy in the beanie, "Apparently you have got yourselves some fighters already. What's the point for a girl like me to get involved?"

"We need you to lend us your strength and in return we'll help you to attain your goals. As simple that." The blonde man replied, with a smile.

"Goals, huh? Ranging from what? If it's about fortune or education, I don't need that shit."

He cleared his throat and tried to ignore my swearing and blatantly rude tone.

"Then what is it that you want? You can just name it. I'm all ears."

"If I said I wanted death? You don't mind helping me bringing down a person or two, would you?"

The whole room grew quiet. Even the confident blonde did not know what to say. All of the members exchanged glances. The beanie boy by snapped.

"If you aren't going to take this seriously, we might as well-

"Whoever said I wasn't serious?" I cut in. My eyes narrowed dangerously.

That had him silent.

That had all of them silent.

That was until a new male entered the room; a man of his 20-s, a red head.

"CHIEF!" Their voices rang my ears.

Chief? So this was their leader?

My eyes met with a pair of amber once. I felt myself shudder for some unknown reason. He seemed different from the others. There was something about him which made him look so much stronger than the others. Chills ran down my spine. What was going on?

"Just like what Kusanagi said, we all need you. If it's power you want. I'll give it to you. I don't care what you do with it. But in return, all you'll need to do join Homra."

My heart was racing and my breathing quickened. What was happening to me?

I find it hard enough to look at him in the eye. Whenever I did, I felt my body burning, literally.

"Just w-what are you?" I strutted. There was something about this man that I couldn't just pinpoint.

"A King. I'm the Red King, Suoh Mikoto…a pleasure to meet you, Katsumata-san." He said, holding his hands out for me.

I hesitated but shook it otherwise. That had earned a smirk from him. I blushed almost instantly when I withdrew my hand.

He is a tall, muscular and no doubt a good looking man. The most distinguishable feature about him was his crimson spiked hair. But there was something about those golden eyes that seemed so familiar. He wore a plain white V-neck under his leather jacket.

"Wait…How did you know my name?" I asked.

"Do you think our meeting is coincidental? I've been watching you for a long time now. You have potential and Homra needs people like you."

I bit my lip. "What is Homra, anyway?"

"You'll find out soon enough…for now, just relax."

"…Don't expect anything from me just yet….."

Yata's POV

That woman had a lot of nerve calling them weaklings. Honestly, they weren't the ones who passed out in a battle. Oh, how he hated her guts! Someone needed to teach that bitch a lesson…! But this was Mikoto-san's decision, so he had no right to object. Whether he liked it or not, Mikoto was never wrong; at least that was what he believed. But of all people, why her? Mikoto didn't even bother with the entrance exam. Many had themselves burnt to death by Mikoto's aura. So why not use it on her? Or was Mikoto going a little too soft, seeing that she was a girl? It was unfair. All of the members who worked so hard to get here thought so too. Will things be alright with her around?

He'll just have to trust Mikoto on this one…

Kamamoto's POV

Something is off about her. Her eyes showed distinct bloodlust in them. Just thinking about her gives him the chills. Mikoto shook her hand; does that mean she's a part of Homura already?

Dewa's POV

He let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness that the others came in time. That woman…she was terribly rough… The screaming matches with her were just as bad. He might be coming down with a sore throat soon. Scanning the room, most of the members were here, except a few of them, including Anna

Honestly, this girl was not what he had expected. Any other girl would be on her knees begging them to let her go. But she didn't even shed a tear.

Well, Mikoto-san did handle it pretty well. She became much quieter after he had spoken to her. But there was something he couldn't brush off. He expression changed when Mikoto came. She was scared, he could tell. Was it coincidental? Or did she sense something?

His suspicions were proven correct when she said, "Just w-what are you?"

It was clear to him, that she must have felt Mikoto's aura. She wasn't normal, from the way she fought Yata. Her speed was incredible to an extent that she might just be as fast as Yata. She was sharp, if Yata was NORMAL, there was a chance he would have lost to her.

Though that doesn't really change anything much if she is unwilling to join Homra. Not that he wanted her to…

I woke up in the middle of the night, panting incoherently. There were beads of sweat on my forehead as well as my back. The whole room was freezing cold. I couldn't help but shiver. I wrapped myself with the hospital blanket, but it didn't help much. The whole room was dark. The curtains filtered the moonlight, raining down on my bed. My eyes then set on a figure at the corner of the room.

"Dewa-kun…" I muttered to myself. I shouldn't wake him up… From what I had heard from the nurses, he had watched over me for the past few nights. It was kind of him. Guilt washed over me; I should apologize for what had happened this morning. Sometimes I just get too overboard with things. I frowned. The plastic chair he had didn't look very comfortable.

Grabbing my pillow, I walked over to him with light steps.

I watched his chest rise and fall. He was fast asleep now. Carefully, I placed the pillow behind him. He stirred a little but he showed no signs of waking up. Relief washed over me. Now that I'm awake, I mind as well take a walk. Sleeping too much wasn't very healthy.

Quickly, I changed into my tank top and cargo pants from before and sneaked out. The nurses were nowhere in sight. Just as I was about to shut the door behind me, the door flew open. My breath hitched, when I was pulled roughly into the room. The door clicked shut behind me. He flipped on the lights and before me stood a slightly annoyed Dewa. His piercing eyes were on me and for a second there, I thought he was about to eat me.

"And where do you think you are going?" He asked, still half awake, another hand rubbing the fuzz out of his eyes.

"Masaomi-san… I was just…going out for a walk." I said, trying my best to avoid his eyes.

"A walk? It's 3am in the morning…Or are you just trying to escape?"

"I-It's not that…! I just…can't sleep."

He sighed, letting go of my arm. Muttering something about how troublesome I was, he took of his overcoat. He gave me a long look before placing it over my shoulder. I let out a squeak when he did so. I wasn't sure why; but it was probably just a reflex action. Maybe I was still uncomfortable with the Homra members. He was just like any other lowlife that I had fought. Homra, which I had just learnt today, was like any other street gang; only they possess what they called 'auras'. The Red King, Suoh Mikoto is the most feared of the whole Shizume city. A few weeks back, I was sure one of the men I fought with did mention Mikoto's name.

"You think you're the best out there…?! Well think again; wait until you meet the RED KING…!"

So that was what he meant…

"You'll get a cold. Wear it and let's go."

My face lit up to a smile. He had a hand around my waist, leading me out of the room. A blush rose across my cheeks. I gave him a long stare. Having seen my expression, he chuckled. "It's not what you think it is. I'm making sure you don't escape."

"Why? You can always stop me with those powers of yours." I blurted out.

"I could but-

Having him said that, I quickly added. "Sorry, I was just curious."

That earned a minor laugh from him. For a moment there I thought I had said something ridiculous.

"I bet Kusanagi-san hadn't mentioned this to you, huh?"

"Mention what?"

"Remembered when Yata-chan attacked you?"

"The skateboarder kid?"

"Yeah, him...A normal human who comes with direct contact with the flames should be burnt or in worse cases…cremated alive. Seeing you managed to come out unhurt, I take it you're unaffected by the flames."

It took me quite a while to soak in the information, by then we were at rooftop. Cold air hit me in the face and for a moment there, I shivered. Wrapping Dewa's coat closer around me, I then turned to face him.

"How come? Why am I unaffected?"

Silence consumed the air, he shifted slightly under my gaze. He seemed nervous, but soon he took a step forward.

"In my opinion, I think you might be able to join Homra. People who are qualified to join Homra will be unharmed by the flames…But to get an approval, or an insignia, you'll have to pass the entrance test-

"What makes you think, I'll join Homra anyways, even if the King approves of it?" It came out sharp and just then, he seemed reluctant to go on with this conversation. "Who knows? You might just change your mind. The others are nice once you get to know them. I'm sure you won't regret it,"

I bit my bottom lip. There was a question lingering in my mind since this morning.

"What do you fight for?" I asked suddenly, my hands clenching around the coat.

He seems taken aback with that question for a while but a smile soon formed across his lips.

"What do I fight for, huh? Well…" His voice trailed off. Something seems to have clicked for he raised a brow, looking at me suspiciously. I blinked twice unable to leave his gaze.

This was an answer that I was aching to hear. No doubt, it'll change my mind about Homra. It wasn't the power that I was after. What I had said before, about wanting to kill, was all a lie. Though I wanted to avenge my family badly; but I will put that aside for now. Of course, I needed to find who exactly the killer is before I could actually kill them. Even if I joined Homra, how were they going to help me track an unknown killer? I was completely clueless about the man. Well, at least, I thought he was a man.

He let out a sigh and all of a sudden, he had his hand on my head.

Excitement rushed through my veins. Was it for power? Or was he facing the same situation as I?

"Honestly, I have no idea."

I was completely deadpanned by his answer. But it was his sudden gesture; him ruffling my hair that that brought me back to reality. "Ha, ha, I'm just joking…Well, if you really want to know is….because of a friend. We've been close buds for a long time and sometimes, I just wanted to look out for him. He always gets himself in trouble, but I'll always be there help him. When he said he wanted to join Homra, I thought it was ridiculous…But in the end, I got in as well…and then we met other people just like us. All of us were lead to Homra by different goals, but in the end, we only have one goal left…To protect Homra and repay our debt to Mikoto."

I was speechless, utterly speechless.

Mikoto, huh? Why does that name sound so familiar?

Maybe there was more of Homra that I had thought.