Arigatou mina! Thanks everyone for continuing to come back to read our updates! You may have noticed the rating went up. This is because you can't *actually* have a story with Yata in it without seeing a cuss word here or there, but this story should still be appropriate for everyone on here :). Please enjoy.


The next morning Totsuka arrived at the bar at his usual time—early enough to make breakfast for Anna. It was typically long before the king and princess got up for the day. He was rather surprised, therefore, to see both Mikoto and Kusanagi awake, seated on the black, leather sofas. Being younger, Yata had fallen asleep next to Kusanagi, but the two adults had been awake all night, it appeared.

In as chipper a mood as ever, he walked up to the table between them, greeting, "As far as I know, these are prime sleeping hours for both of you. What are you doing awake?"

Mikoto said nothing. The redhead was clearly locked in thought, likely of something dangerous. A shot glass revealed as much. Empty except for the remains of an ice cube that had melted long ago, the glass was still in Mikoto's hand. Whatever water was left in it only moved when the king shifted his weight.

Kusanagi, on the other hand, held a picture out to the newcomer, saying, "Guess what the Green Clan delivered to us last night via Yata-chan."

Standing up from how he had bent down to peer at the king's face, Totsuka looked over the picture handed to him. Upon examination, he scratched the back of his head nervously. The photo was of Emi and him by the front window of a café. He remembered the date, and how he had borrowed a hat from Kusanagi that day to disguise his identity. As a plan, it had been weak from the start.

With a guilty smile, he admitted, "Well it makes sense for them to be upset. After all, isn't their king particularly strict about territory boundaries?"

Seriousness filled the air as Kusanagi caught what Totsuka was implying but wasn't willing to accept it. "What are you saying, Totsuka?" He questioned in a threatening tone. Of all the clan members, that boy should have been the one he could trust to respect the separation of kings.

"I was in the Green Clan's domain," he explained more frankly.

"Why?" The demand was harsh, cutting off the end of what Totsuka had said. The younger adult was taken aback by the unusual bite to the calm man's words, but he had good reason to react roughly. Yata was a different story. It could be expected of someone wild and uncontrollable to wind up across boundaries eventually. He had also been on a somewhat sanctioned mission and was perfectly capable of defending himself. Totsuka was pretty much defenseless. Even more, he had brought along a helpless girl.

"I thought they might not mind if it was for a date," he revealed part of his reasoning with a weakening smile. It was worrisome if they minded that much.

Still trying to understand, Kusanagi pointed out, "There are dozens of cafés that are not in any other clan's territory. Why did you go to that one?"

Totsuka made a face like someone eating a lemon, which relaxed the bartender quite a bit. With someone like him around, it was difficult to be anxious.

"It was so hard to make the right decision," he mentioned, fussing like he had not wanted to tell anyone about the date or let it become a big deal. "It was for Emi's birthday, and I told her she could choose whatever place she liked. Apparently, that restaurant is where her parents first met, and they always go there for special events, and she really wanted to show it to me. How was I supposed to tell her no?"

By this point, Yata was also awake, and he responded with vigorous sincerity, "Say, 'That's where our enemy is'!"

Sympathetic toward his friend's story, Kusanagi rebuked Yata dryly, "You know nothing about women."

At that time, Mikoto added his input, "These pictures aren't all in green's territory." His finger was on one in particular that Kusanagi, in turn, picked up to look at more closely.

"He's right. This is just up the street from here," he agreed.

Yata grabbed the image hastily and squawked, "Wha—! Does that mean they were in our territory too?" He looked like he might rush out right then to remind them to stay off his king's turf.

Squatting down to look at all the pictures scattered on the glass, coffee table, Totsuka pointed one out. "This park is definitely in a neutral zone. We go there quite often."

"Then, we're back to where we started," the blond man stated, leaning forward in his seat. "Why does the Green Clan have pictures of you with Haruna-chan all over town?"

Totsuka raised a hand to his chin, taking on the proper pose for thinking. In this way, all four stared in silence at the table covered in photos. None of them paid much attention to how much time passed spent in this way. Finally, something dawned on Totsuka, even though it wasn't a clue to understanding the message.

"How long have you been doing this?" He asked. By the looks on their sleep deprived faces, he knew the answer without being told and stood up.

Yata followed suit, leaping to his feet with determination, "That's right! The only way to get information is to take it." He punched one fist into the palm of his other hand, a demonstration that his new plan was to 'ask' the Green Clan.

"Actually," Totsuka corrected with a laugh, "I was going to make breakfast."

"Eh?" The hot blooded teen was rendered speechless by Totsuka's behavior that was baffling to him.

Once the light hearted young man had disappeared into the kitchen, Kusanagi ordered, "Yata-chan, sit down." He waited for the boy to obey before explaining, "If the Green Clan sent these pictures to provoke us, to show up, fire blazing, is exactly what they'd expect from us."

"So are we gonna just sit around and let them enter our territory and stalk our members?" Even against Kusanagi's irrefutable logic, Yata didn't back down. He was also probably thinking he would like a rematch with the female in the other clan, this time on his terms.

The man simply ignored his question, speaking instead to Mikoto. "Maybe you should pay their king a visit, then. Just to talk, of course."

An amused, "Hn," escaped the king's lips before he asked, "What for?"

"Ask them face to face what the meaning of all this is," Kusanagi clarified. "Obviously, if they did enough research to find all these locations, they had to have noticed that Totsuka is harmless. What's their goal?" Granted, Kusanagi was telling Mikoto to ask these questions, but he was just as equally simply voicing what his mind was trying to work through.

Once again, it was the youngest who protested zealously, "No way are we asking them for the answer, right Mikoto-san? Not after they called you illiterate."

The redhead raised an eyebrow like he didn't remember that accusation being mentioned in the messenger's story the night before. He also didn't seem nearly as insulted by the put down directed at himself as did the younger boy. It sparked an idea in Kusanagi's head, however, and the blond quickly reached for the manila envelope all the pictures had come in. Sure enough, inside was a letter they had completely overlooked the first time. After all, what kind of mockery would be in asking someone if they could read when there were no words to be read?

Unfortunately, all excitement at having found the note was drenched by its contents:

To the Third King, Suoh, Mikoto,

Thought you might find these interesting. You're welcome.

Having read these words aloud, Kusanagi sighed dramatically. That was of no help at all.

"'You're welcome'?" Yata repeated. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Some favor," Mikoto muttered, renouncing his temporary position of interest.

Feeding off of the general idea in Mikoto's vague comment, Kusanagi wondered, "Are we supposed to be grateful that they gave us advanced warning?" In reality, it felt as if the note were a taunting mockery, saying, Even if we give you a head start, you won't be able to stop what's coming.

Mikoto closed his eyes. He didn't like puzzles. That was a game more suitable for the blue king.

Like clockwork, Totsuka finished preparing breakfast just after Anna came downstairs. She took her place beside Mikoto, clothed elegantly from head to toe in a red dress, and looked at those around her. They were the same as always; Misaki was angry, Izumo was thinking, Mikoto wasn't paying attention. The striking difference today was the photos of Tatara scattered about.

The young man in question made his appearance at that moment, as usual, several levels happier than the rest. "I figured you would be awake by now, Anna," he greeted, approaching them with two steaming plates of food. Setting them down before the king and the princess, he swept all the snapshots into a tidy pile to make room on the table for everyone to have food. Pleasantly, he requested, "Yata, come help me carry things, would you?"

Since he was basically receiving free food for nothing, the boy couldn't refuse. When they returned with the rest of the breakfast, though, all the pictures had been spread out again. Kusanagi was looking closely at the front and back of each one, particularly the one he held in his hand. Yata hardly noticed, simply bringing his food and drink onto the couch with him, so he wouldn't spill on the evidence.

Totsuka inquired about it. "You're really intent on finding a clue, aren't you Kusanagi-san? Why don't you at least set it aside long enough to eat?" His voice was cheery, frequently ending his words as if singing a song.

Kusanagi's response showed he was deep in concentration. "There's something different about this one." He waved the image in his hand like he had just discovered something huge but had no idea what it was.

To humor him, the friendly young man took the picture to examine it. Once again, it was the photo at the café. Other than the location being in the Green Clan's territory, it was hard to find any differences. They were all pictures of him with Emi, after all. Totsuka thought hard about this and then suddenly snapped his fingers as if he had thought of something.

"I've got it," he announced excitedly. "It's the hat! That day I wore a hat as a disguise. That's what's different, right? You can't recognize me as well?"

Blinking slowly like that was a dumb idea, Kusanagi snatched the picture back. "I totally recognize you."

Only seeming discouraged for a second, the younger asked, "Well what else is different? Other than that it's blurrier than the rest?"

"I wouldn't really call it blurry," the bartender corrected. "It's just focused on something other than you."

Instantly, everyone scooted closer to see what Kusanagi meant. "On what, then?"

His finger pointed to a figure clad in black, tucked in an alley near the café. The man appeared suspicious but wasn't really doing anything. A fedora and trench coat concealed most of his features except the camera that he held. None of them recognized him from anywhere, which made them all wonder why he was the picture's main focus.

His interest renewed, Yata set aside his food and started to look again at the ones on the table. He was curious about why Kusanagi had been looking at the back sides when he recalled that his mom used to write little notes on the backs of family photos to help remember details. No words were written on these, only the time stamp of when each picture was taken, printed by the developer.

"Do you think these dates are important?" He inquired.

From where he was kneeling, Totsuka could easily see the flipside of the café picture and remarked, "This one doesn't have a date." That was another difference. All the other ones did. That must have meant it was taken by a separate camera.

"Ah, I see," the blond muttered his understanding of the whole mystery.

Also having figured it out, Totsuka agreed slowly, "Yeah."

Even Anna looked like she followed when Mikoto described, "The Greens only took one picture."

Only Yata remained confused, and it frustrated him that they were leaving him behind with their bond through years of friendship. "What the hell are you talking about?" He demanded.

Kusanagi explained clearly, "The Green Clan only took this picture. That's why it's different. They took a picture of this man, which must mean he is the one who took all the other pictures. They must have acquired his camera while running him off. When they developed the pictures, they found all this and thought we would like to know that one of our own is being followed."

"Almost makes me glad I snuck into their domain. Otherwise, we may never have found this out," Totsuka pointed out in a tone that nearly sounded like a joke.

The glare Kusanagi sent his way ensured him he couldn't get off the hook so easily. Even so, the elder commented, "However, for once it may actually be beneficial that the greens can't ever mind their own business."

"So it is a favor?" Yata asked once he had caught on. He still sounded divided in his opinion, though, like his anger toward them would not be so easily discarded. "Somehow, stalking Totsuka-san and insulting Mikoto-san is a favor."

Knowing he would come around eventually, Totsuka smiled broadly at him, "Aren't you glad you didn't rush in there and set the place ablaze? That would certainly have been embarrassing."

"Could have ruined your chances with that girl too," Kusanagi mentioned teasingly.

"Huh?" The boy responded in shock. What an absurd idea! She was irritating and arrogant. Plus, she was the enemy. He didn't like her; he would know if he did. "Quit making shit up!" After saying that with such certainty, his bashful conclusion surprised them all, especially because it didn't match with the words he muttered, "She just pisses me off." Then, he rubbed the tip of his nose like it itched and turned his attention back to his food.

"Aw, so cute!" Totsuka exclaimed, "He's defensive! Who is this girl?"

"She's the messenger for the Green Clan," the blond revealed, and a single gesture to the photos on the table made it easy enough to guess how the two met.

Deciding they better not give Yata too much of a hard time about it, Totsuka changed the subject, "Okay, all of you, don't mention any of this to Emi when she meets me here later. We're gonna go ice skating." His eyes sparkled, and he almost started to glow when thinking of the fun they would have.

Yata gave him a disgusted look that showed he was about to ask what anyone would find enjoyable about going in circles in a place full of ice, but Mikoto actually spoke first, "Don't go alone."

"What?" Totsuka asked, stunned by the command. The king wasn't going to repeat himself, though, so Totsuka just laughed. "Don't worry, King. It's just ice skating. It's not like anything's going to happen."


The atmosphere was lively. Bubbly music played in time with colorful splotches of light that danced across the rink in random patterns. Since it was the weekend, the ice was crowded with young children, entire families, and youths skating hand in hand as couples. Falls were happening left and right from the inexperienced, and occasionally someone talented would dart by with an awe-inspiring trick.

In spite of all this, somehow Totsuka felt as if Emi was the only other person there with him. That had, in fact, resulted in quite a few near-crashes during which he had struggled to stay on his feet. He didn't mind, though, because when Emi covered her mouth to laugh at his clumsiness, he felt like the accident had been worth it.

Ever since he introduced her to Homra and the boys, it seemed that Emi had been making a few subtle adjustments. She kept her own style, of course, but it was becoming difficult to find a day when she wasn't wearing red of some sort. Today her beige sweater and dark tights were covered by a jumper with navy blue stripes. At the bottom of the frilled skirt, however, was an unmistakable red ribbon, and her hair was tied up with a dull, red bow as well. Totsuka really appreciated considerate gestures such as these, even if they were very small.

Neither one knew how to do any tricks on their skates, such as spinning or jumping. When Totsuka had tried to show off by skating backwards, he had run straight into the wall and lost his footing, nearly falling. Emi, herself, managed at best to skate on one foot for a couple seconds, with the other pointed directly behind her. That made them the type of lovey-dovey couple that could really do nothing more than skate happily in endless circles.

About halfway through open-skate, a young girl with pale skin and a red dress glided up to Emi. Looking up at her with unmoving eyes, the girl commented, "I like your bow."

Caught off guard, Emi almost pulled away. The girl had snuck up on her silently and directly, without wavering. Her expression was cold like the ice. Emi realized after the initial shock, though, that she knew this girl. At second glance, her rosy cheeks and eyes fixed upon the red bow made her appear more alive than normal. It seemed she also had no trouble keeping her feet on the slippery skating rink.

"Anna," Totsuka called out to her as he joined the two girls, "what are you doing here?"

"Mikoto sent me to watch you," she answered plainly, clearly unaware that she was likely supposed to keep an eye on him without being noticed.

Totsuka laughed even though he was frowning. He sent Anna? Besides the fact that Totsuka had specifically told him there was nothing to worry about, that he would be fine, and not to send anybody with him, why had he sent the youngest member of Homra? While she could blend in with the other children on the rink fairly well, and it was clear she at least knew how to skate, she wouldn't necessarily be any better off in a battle situation than Totsuka himself.

Then, another thought came to him, and he glanced urgently around the building. Was he supposed to look after her while they skated, or had she come with the whole red clan? That much fire in the building at once would for sure melt all the ice. Even just Mikoto or Yata alone would do that much. Upon looking around, though, he saw no hot-headed pyros sticking out like sore thumbs, and he scratched his head.

"Are you alone?"

Anna shook her head slightly. "Yo is here."

Of course, it would be Chitose. Anyone who thought logically would never send Yata to go ice skating. It would be an overreaction to send someone as strong as Kusanagi, which would give the enemy the impression they were afraid. Therefore, they had waited for the first person who looked like he could blend into this setting, and that happened to be Chitose. This time, Totsuka saw him across the ice.

"Would you excuse me for a moment?" He said politely and then skated over to the fellow clansman.

Making a rather graceful turn to come to a complete stop in front of Chitose, Totsuka feigned surprise, a little overly obvious, "Fancy meeting you here."

"Yeah, isn't it?" The brunette responded in kind; although, his fake oblivious reaction was much more believable.

"Did they ask you to do this?"

Now, Chitose understood more than Anna that they were to keep the nature of their mission secret—or perhaps, she understood just fine but chose to be forthcoming—so he spoke with caution, "Yeah, pretty much as soon as I got to the bar, Kusanagi-san slapped some money in my hand and said, 'Take Anna ice skating.'" He deliberately neglected to mention that the command had come right after the explanation of Totsuka being followed by an enemy, and that Kusanagi had hinted through a series of winks that it was the true reason they were going to the ice arena.

"I see," Totsuka unsuccessfully continued their transparent farce. "Watch over her, okay?" Then, he returned to Emi's side, a smile mostly covering a tiny, frustrated wrinkle on the bridge of his nose.

Other than that encounter, the guardians for the most part didn't interfere with the date. Chitose kept an eye out for suspicious characters and glanced Totsuka's way every once in a while, but he stayed generally occupied with flirting with girls. Anna glided along, always a little bit behind the couple, silent and intent. At first, that felt awkward, her observant eyes burning into every natural conversation that tried to start up. The feeling eventually dissipated, and the two returned to enjoying themselves.

At one point, they moved into the center of the rink, wanting to try something cool. They had seen others do it—hold hands, face to face, and spin in circles. It didn't seem too hard. Their first two attempts were fruitless, and Totsuka had to catch Emi one time as she wobbled on her feet. Still, they tried once more, managing to spin.

The first time around, both faces sparkled with joy, seeing nothing but one another as the rest of the world moved blurrily around them. On the second time, Totsuka briefly caught a glimpse of a disagreement breaking out on the far side of the rink. The third spin revealed one of the people involved in the fight was Chitose. The fourth time around, Totsuka saw red in their vicinity. Without first trying to determine if it was blood or fire, he let go of Emi and skated over to resolve the issue.

As it turned out, Chitose had just been hitting on someone else's girlfriend. Barely any harm was caused, since Totsuka was able to talk the other man down from a serious fight. The red he had seen was from Chitose's nose when he got punched. Other than that, the only injury was a twisted ankle caused by the fall from being punched, but they did get kicked out of the arena. Totsuka helped Chitose limp back to Homra, more hurt in pride than body, followed by the two girls who quietly talked about what they had enjoyed skating. Somehow, Emi didn't seem to realize the whole ordeal hadn't been one big coincidence.

Upon entering the bar, she had been mobbed before Totsuka could even get the depressed Chitose to a chair. Kamamoto shouted excitedly, "Haruna-chan!" and ran to meet her at the door. Others were less aggressive but were also happy to see her. Emi had to make the rounds, saying hello to Dewa, Bandou, and Fujishima as well, which could take some time. While she was busy with that, Totsuka went straight to the bartender and king at the counter.

"You'll never guess who I met at the ice skating rink today," he began.

Knowing that he already found out the truth, Kusanagi made no excuses, saying simply, "Don't fuss about it. We just wanted to make sure you would be safe."

Totsuka sighed dramatically as he sat on a barstool and laid his head on his arms in front of him. The lapse of form was momentary, however, ending when a voice rose above the background noise asking if Emi was going to stay for dinner. He looked around then, at the faces of all his friends, each one hopeful that the answer would be yes. Even Kusanagi looked pleased with the idea, since if the couple was here, they would have plenty of protection.

"You would like that too, wouldn't you Anna?" Totsuka asked. Now sitting between him and Mikoto, Anna seemed content, and he could only guess that ice skating with Emi had done that. She didn't answer, but she blushed just slightly.

Decided himself, he asked of Emi, "There's no reason why you shouldn't, right? Just because we can't skate anymore doesn't mean the date is over."

She smiled in return. "It's settled then."