A sweet sugary trail followed behind Koyuki that caught the attention of anyone who got into close proximity of her. They could see that she was carrying a bag and concluded that the smell was originating from inside of it. Since leaving the playground she faithfully worn the leather gloves that Mikoto gave her in fear of burning down her apartment building though she has taken them off and tested out her hands unsuccessfully picking up any type of item before it either vaporized or turned into a pile of ash although she kept them on at work and had no trouble with anything. It had been a week since she agreed to Mikoto to join HOMRA and decided to present the group with an offering. She had to admit to herself that she was nervous. Something about a group of guys that wielded the aura of fire wasn't very comforting to Koyuki but knowing that they also had Anna around means that they weren't all bad and that they had some sort of soft spot; they were human after all. Even though Anna seemed to always be around, they were still men that may or may not have one thing on her mind and being the young woman that she is seemed to raise a few red flags; nevertheless she ignored those thoughts and proceeded inside the doors of HOMRA bar. When the door opened it triggered a bell chime causing Kusanagi to look up with a friendly smile.
"Hey there, Koyuki, glad you could make it." He welcomed. Koyuki was surprised to see him smoking inside of his own bar.
"Thanks, I brought some sweets." She said shyly clutching the bag with both of her hands.
"Trying to impress everyone? You'll definitely fit in around here if you keep that up." Kusanagi chuckled and Koyuki blushed. Koyuki and Kusanagi's head turned when they heard footsteps running down the staircase at the end of the hallway seeing Tatara with a camera in hand.
"And here we have our newest recruit Koyuki Tsukasa on her first official day as a member of team HOMRA." Tatara commentated continuing to film walking closer to her. "Koyuki, have any words to share?"
"Oh- um… I-I brought some home baking." Koyuki brought the bag up to block her face from being in sight of the camera.
"And that's how you get on everyone's good side. Let's see what's inside." Tatara said taking the bag from Koyuki's hands and opened it up recording himself taking a container of baked goods out of the bag.
"Sorry, it's a new thing that he's been doing. He wants to save all of his memories." Kusanagi apologized. As Tatara opened the lid on the container, Mikoto came downstairs rubbing the back of his neck with Yata and Kamamoto following behind him.
"Hey." Kusanagi greeted his king.
"Hm, what's this?" Mikoto asked eyeing the container that was in Tatara's hands. He lifted the container up to meet the eyes of his leader.
"Hey king, look at this. Koyuki brought us a bunch of goodies. Go ahead and take the first one." Tatara smiled showing Mikoto what was inside the plastic container. Koyuki could sense Mikoto's eyes lighting up at the mention of food. He wasted no time reaching in pulling out some kind of cream square with a caramelized nut topping on it and began devouring it.
"Hey careful when you eat. I just cleaned the floor." Koyuki was surprised to hear Kusanagi talk to his 'king' that way but Mikoto seemed like he ignored him as he finished up the rest of the square. He swallowed the last bit then moaned with satisfaction.
"Is it that good Mikoto?" Kamamoto asked. Yata peeked over his shoulder.
"Fantastic." He said. Kamamoto aggressively asserted himself in front being the next one to try a sample then everyone else joined in but Koyuki. Mikoto even took a second one. Tatara took a giant bite still holding onto the container then held it out to Koyuki.
"Koyuki, aren't you going to have any?" He asked with his mouth full. She shook her head.
"No I made them for you guys. You all go ahead and enjoy."
"This is awfully nice of you."
"Save some for the rest of the guys." Kusanagi said.
"No way, they aren't here so they don't get any" said none other than the overweight member of HOMRA. Koyuki smiled as the boys finished off what was in their mouths all moaning in unison.
"This is the best addition to our team. Finally a cook and no more of Kusanagi's shit." Yata said. Kusanagi whipped a plastic glass hitting Yata directly in the head which Tatara caught on video then he got a shot of Koyuki again.
"Okay now that that's over with. I'm in charge of all of the new comers. You know everyone here already? There's Kusanagi owner of this bar, Yata, Kamamoto and none other than our king himself Mikoto." Tatara introduced zooming in on her face. Koyuki nervously shuffled her feet.
"Hey Tatara, put that thing away. Don't scare our new recruit." Kusanagi ordered. Tatara shut off the camera and put it on the counter.
"Sorry, I just wanted to get this as a keepsake. One day we're going to watch this and remember back to these days."
"I'm sorry." Koyuki apologized.
"One rule with hanging out with us at HOMRA is that you can't say I'm sorry. We just don't say that to each other here ya got that?" Yata said sounding bored.
"I'm sorry." Koyuki said again lowering her head and Yata sighed.
"As for our king, you address him as king or Mr. Mikoto unless you're Anna of course." Tatara said pointing with his thumb to the fiery red haired one. Mikoto paid no attention to that remark. "Another thing, HOMRA bar is open 4 pm to 12 am every day except Sundays. If you are coming to hang out here when the bar is closed there is a door in the back that has a number pad for us to use to get in. One of the rooms upstairs is the king's and you are not permitted to go in there unless he is in there with his door open or if you are directed to do so by your other clansmen…". Tatara continued as Koyuki tried to process all of the information that was given to her but she found it overwhelming on how many rules that there was especially for a group of guys. As Tatara went on explaining, the other guys in the room took a seat in their typical positions Mikoto's always being on the couch. Eventually a cell phone ring pulsed through the room disrupting the explanation and Mikoto pulled out a PDA out of his pocket.
"Yeah." He grunted. All of the guys stopped talking amongst themselves and focused on their king waiting for something that Koyuki hadn't been made aware of yet. Not even a minute later the king hung up and looked at his group. "They've got him." Was all he said then the chairs skidded against the floor as everyone got up and headed out the door. Koyuki looked around confused but Tatara stopped by the door frame and looked back.
"Come on Koyuki, we're gonna show you what HOMRA is all about." He gestured.
Have you ever had a 'what the hell is going' on kind of moments? Well, that is what was constantly on her mind like the idea was some kind of locked up animal that demanded to be free or demanded answers in this case but she just went with it. Everyone walked down to the downtown area of Shizume City where glass windows towered over the group and they stopped near a fire hydrant that a dark van was parked with curtains covering the back windows. Dewa and Bandou sat in the front driver's area with Kosuke at the wheel. The boys got out of the vehicle as soon as they seen their group coming.
"Hey." The boys greeted as Mikoto's group merged with theirs.
"Welcome aboard Koyuki." Dewa tipped his hat. Koyuki tried to smile but she was still without answers.
"Anna's located our target on the 16th floor." Kosuke explained to the group as they all walked to the back of the van. Kusanagi knocked on the back door before opening up letting out a cloud of cigarette smoke. Koyuki held her breath.
"Good work boys." Kusanagi praised. Inside the back of the van was set up with chairs and tables with laptops and other large electronic equipment with wires lying around everywhere. Operating the laptops were Eric, Chitose and Shouhei that were on some kind of hacking program and Anna was sitting on the floor watching Shouhei's screen.
"As soon as I input the password we have ten minutes without any alarms sounding off in the building on your signal." Shouhei informed.
"Alright, Shouhei you and Tatara are on laptop duty. Koyuki, you stay in the van with them and sit out on this first mission. Take notes though. I'll be down here with you three and Anna. Everyone else, take your ear pieces and follow Mikoto." Kusanagi ordered. Now Koyuki was really wondering what she got herself into. Were they doing a heist without her knowing? Her heart took up all of her feeling pounding in her chest. As the group moved out, Koyuki, Tatara and Anna climbed in the back of the van with Shouhei.
"Koyuki's first mission, huh. I remember my first mission, wasn't that long ago." Shouhei commented. Tatara logged onto the computer and went under the same program as Shouhei's computer.
"Ever since you joined Shouhei, our computer abilities have been better than ever." Tatara mentioned.
Mikoto and the rest of the gang casually walked through the main doors to the targeted building eyeing around the lobby for cameras. The floor echoed their footsteps as their heels made contact with the marbled tiles.
"Chitose, stay in the lobby near the elevators where I can see you from the glass doors in case I need you back on computers that way you can keep an eye out at the same time in case our target tries to escape. There is a stairwell to the left that you also need to be aware of." Kusanagi said through a microphone wired around the collar of his shirt. Chitose's nod was visible from the van.
"Kosuke, I want you on the rooftop level by the stairs. Watch out on the helipad. Our target does not have a registered helicopter pilot license but that's not to say that he won't try to fly one if he's being chased. Eric and Dewa will take position outside on the 16th level stairwell and elevator entrances. Bandou will take the outside door of where our target's office is located. Anna will let us know if he has left there before you all take your positions."
"Yata and Kamamoto, you're with me." Mikoto said in a low tone so that no one else will hear. "We're going to be giving a surprise." Yata smirked.
"We have a second get away van parked a block down to the east. In case of an emergency, anyone remaining will go to that van to get back to headquarters. Give the signal when your all in position and Shouhei will deactivate the alarms from there you have ten minutes of alarm silence. Use it wisely." Kusanagi finished. Koyuki's heart pounded against her rib cage as her toes curled and body clenching with anxiety. There was radio silence as they all waited for everyone to confirm their positions. Anna and Koyuki focused on Tatara's screen that had images of all the cameras in the building minus the blind rooftop. All were in position except Kosuke who was still riding the elevator to the top. Mikoto, Bandou, Yata and Kamamoto all waited outside the head office. A few minutes later, Kosuke was the last to give his ready signal. "Good, everyone's in position. Shouhei, deactivate the alarm."
"Alarm deactivated."
"Go you've got 10 minutes!" Kusanagi shouted over his microphone.
As soon as Kusanagi called the operation on, Mikoto kicked the double door open and walked into the room with both hands in his pockets. Koyuki and Anna crowded around Tatara's screen that had a clear image of the entire office room. An older man wearing a blue sports jacket and red striped tie turned around in his chair and stood up as soon as he seen the familiar angry faces. He reached underneath his desk to press a hidden button.
"That's cute but it won't work. Your alarms are disabled so no one can interrupt our little chat." Mikoto mocked.
"Why are we after this guy?" Koyuki asked.
"Hideki Minawa and HOMRA's ties go way back. He has been financially aiding us since the beginning but a few months ago he started stealing from us and selling us out to different coloured clans. Mikoto's objective is to make him give us back everything that he took and more before he cuts all ties. He's the one that helped Kusanagi when he bought the bar where we're located at. When Mikoto found out what Hideki had done, we had a hard time calming him down. He wanted to take down his whole enterprise. He's got a violent temper when stuff like this happens." Tatara answered.
Hideki backed up until he was stopped by a full wall window shaking in his boots. He pulled his tie loosening it so that he could breathe before he reached behind him and pulled out a 9mm automatic pistol. Koyuki gasped. This matter was much more serious than she had originally expected. Mikoto chuckled as he was being aimed at and responded by taking a few steps closer to the man cowering behind his desk. Hideki opened fire as soon as Mikoto stepped onto the carpet that was set underneath the desk. Koyuki closed her eyes as soon as she heard the first shot. Was he crazy? Why was everyone acting so calm? She opened her eyes surprised to hear Mikoto chuckle after receiving three rounds but what she saw surprised her even more. Pure red flames combusted around Mikoto's figure dissolving the bullets as soon as they made contact with his aura. As he stepped closer to Hideki, sparks of flames burst from every step he took. Above the building formed a giant floating sword that had a red jewel in the center protected by a gold swirl that molded together with the sword.
"What is that?" Koyuki asked looking up.
"That is Mikoto's Sword of Damocles. Whenever a king uses their power, that sword hovers around above their heads." Kusanagi explained. Koyuki gawked at the beauty of the exotic sword as it sparkled in the rays of sunlight.
"Come on now Mr. Minawa, you know that won't work." Yata challenged.
"I think you know why we're here." Mikoto started.
"Get out of my office now!" Hideki strained trying to sound like he wasn't at all intimidated.
"Not until you give us back everything that you took from us." Kamamoto replied. Hideki frowned as he lowered his gun. Yata walked up beside Mikoto right in front of the desk and looked down at the papers scattered across the surface.
"These look like pretty important documents. It'd be a shame if they where to burst into flames." He threatened picking up the pile.
"You idiot, don't you know that everything is on computers now? If you used you're head you'd—" Yata's hand engulfed itself in a red flame burning the papers so that there was no ashes floating to the ground. Hideki gasped after Yata called his bluff. Kamamoto walked up beside Mikoto and yanked the laptop out of its cords that was sitting idly on the desk. Hideki took a half a step towards Kamamoto but stopped as he was at a clear disadvantage.
"Five minutes." Kusanagi reminded. Koyuki's breath shortened just from watching the scene.
"Hideki Minawa, or should I say Glyph, return everything what is rightfully ours back to HOMRA, do that and I won't have to kill you."
"Is he serious?" Koyuki gasped falling onto her hands. She knew that this wasn't a good idea. This wasn't just a group of friends that hung around all the time, this was a gang. A violent group of young men that commits murderers and heists to get what they want. If anyone finds out that she was a part of this she would lose her job and get a criminal record. Finding a job with a criminal record will be that much harder and she did not need that in her life. In fact she may as well go live with her mother if that were to happen. She had to leave while she had the chance.
"Mikoto's smarter than that." Tatara said. Koyuki looked over at him. "Mikoto's objective is to get back what was stolen and expose Hideki for who he really is. If he were to kill him, then neither of those will be achieved." Koyuki began to understand and looked back on the screen.
"I really don't want to have to say this again." Mikoto sighed. Kamamoto lifted up the laptop and Yata readied his baseball bat. Hideki's stance shifted then Kamamoto pitched the laptop to Yata who swung his bat at it. Hideki yelled as he put his hands on his head after watching the bat make contact with his laptop.
"You bastards!" Hideki yelled. Yata swung his bat on the laptop over and over until it was reduced to garbage.
"Sixty seconds." Kusanagi shouted as he climbed in the back of the van and shut the doors. "Chitose, get back here into the driver's seat. Everyone else, get ready." Mikoto walked around the desk and Hideki lifted the gun back up. Ignoring the empty threat, Mikoto grabbed the thief by the neck and broke the window.
"No wait, you can't do this."
"Thirty seconds."
"You're not going anywhere until we have an agreement." Mikoto said. Kamamoto and Yata faced the door preparing to defend their king. Mikoto put his arm around Hideki's waist, faced the open window and leapt from the 16th floor.
