Hey all! So thankful for all of the reads and hits on my story! We are almost at 5,000 and I'm so ecstatic about that, you guys have no idea!

Also, I want to warn y'all that this chapter jumps around and may get annoying, but it'll all be alright in the end. ;D

Thank you to my lovely readers who have already reviewed HOMRA's chapter! I'll be answering all reviews not in the next update, but Kuroh Yatogami's! :)

CH XXV: SCEPTER 4 - PART TWO

Scepter 4's Day Off & Fushimi's Unexpected Journey

"Have you finished your reports, Miss Totchikawa?" Reisi Munakata asked upon her entry, his eyes glancing in her direction for a moment before he returned to his current puzzle.

She walked towards his desk and stopped just a few feet away, "Yes, sir," Stepping forward only to lay her papers on his desk opposite to his puzzle before stepping back, "Will that be all, sir?"

"Hmm?" He looked up at her and offered a calm smile, "You seem to be outdoing yourself, Miss Totchikawa. When was the last time you have taken a day off?"

"Miss Awashima and I are both taking today off," She answered with a small smile, "She told me that it is the only time that all of the commanding officers as well as yourself leave the work to the others under the second special unit."

Munakata nodded as he brought his hands underneath his chin and linked his fingers together so he could relax, "That is very true," He saw her visibly relax, "May I ask what you and miss Awashima will be doing today?"

"She's asked me to help her run some errands, but that's as much as I know," Hana answered honestly.

"I see," He smiled, "Well then, I won't keep you."

Hana bowed politely before excusing herself, leaving Munakata to glance over at the papers she'd left behind. He made quick work of reading them over before exiting his office to head to his quarters. When he got there, an affectionate smile spread on his face at the sight of a sleeping Eri curled up in his royal blue comforter with her own content smile displayed on her face. He had been rather pleased when he finally managed to convince her to join him for the evening, and now all he really wanted to do was enjoy a peaceful morning in bed with her before taking her out for the day.

- x -

Meanwhile, Hana made it back to the woman's dorms to meet up with Awashima.

"Ready to go?" Seri looked over to Hana with a smile as she entered the dorm's bathroom, "Oh, sorry. You must have just finished your work?"

Hana nodded and set down the change of clothing she had been carrying in her arms on one of the benches, "Yeah, I just passed in my reports to the captain, so I'll just take a quick shower and be ready to go in ten minutes."

"I'll wait," Seri turned back to the mirror and readied her toothbrush.

Hana gave her a nod and a smile, reaching up to tie her hair up into a messy bun as she walked off to one of the stalls and quickly washed herself. Once she was finished she dried off and dressed in more casual clothing much like Seri had before brushing her teeth and letting her hair back down.

"Alright, let's go!" She grinned at the older woman, who smiled and walked out with her.

- x -

"Well, Andy's already gone off to go be with Saki, so that leaves the rest of us," Benzai thought aloud while the rest of the Special Unit gathered in the male bathrooms, "Do you guys have any plans for today?"

"Not really," Akiyama answered as he finished towel drying his hair, "Do you have something in mind?"

Hidaka and Kamo both looked at the two, "We could always go grab Enomoto, Goto and Fuse and do the usual?"

"That's what I was actually thinking," Benzai admitted with a chuckle, "Himori?"

Akiyama felt their eyes on him and looked over, "What?"

"Since your lady friend is with the lieutenant today, you're going to stick with us, right?" Hidaka smirked.

Akiyama's eyes narrowed slightly but he shrugged it off, "Of course."

"I think you hit a nerve," Kamo chuckled, clearly amused by Akiyama's reaction.

"You didn't think we wouldn't know that you and miss Totchikawa were dating, now did you? You two couldn't be more obvious!" Hidaka chuckled loudly as he slung his arm over Akiyama's shoulders, "So tell me, is she really as terrifying and cold as she is here at work when she's out of uniform?"

Akiyama frowned, "No, actually she's rather nice."

"Is she now?" Hidaka was grinning from ear to ear, and from the side both Benzai and Kamo were watching the two curious looks themselves, "Wanna tell us all about it?"

- x -

"Are you sure the boys aren't going to be upset that you decided to bail on them to spend the day with me?" Saki smiled up at Andy, who was walking beside her with his fingers tangled in hers.

He chuckled and smiled brightly, "Nah, they'll live!"

"Good," She grinned, "What did you have in mind today?"

"We're going to go run those errands for your mother and then we'll go to the movies after a nice supper," Andy explained, "I figured it's been three weeks since we've gone out for a real date, so I'm wining and dining you tonight!"

Saki looked up at him with bright eyes, "I knew there was a reason I loved you so much!"

"I know," He grinned and puffed his chest out to begin his boast, "I'm very rare in my gender, with all of my already thought out plans for the two of us and all~"

Saki rolled her eyes with a smile, "Yeah, yeah! You best stop talking before your head explodes~"

Andy feigned hurt, "Oh, the agony!"

The two shared a laugh before they made their way around town for running her mother's errands.

- x -

Fushimi walked out of the front doors of the Scepter 4 building and made his way to the front gates where a familiar face waited for him. He had called Keirsten earlier when he finished showering and changing into casual clothing and asked his lovely lady to meet him at the front. When his eyes landed on her, a small smile tugged at his lips.

"You managed to escape long enough to come with me today?" Keirsten giggled as she watched him walk out of the gate, "I'm honored."

Fushimi grunted and reached for her hand without a word, "Where is you wanted me to go with you today?"

"I wanted to introduce you to all of my closest friends," She grinned, lacing their fingers together so she could stop him from changing his mind, "Hey, you promised!"

His deep cerulean eyes landed on her and a scowl made its way onto his face, "Do I have to?"

"You do," Keirsten smiled, "Don't worry, they won't bombard you with questions or try to make you give them hugs. They're a lot tamer than that, although Reina sometimes goes over the top."

Fushimi allowed Keirsten to lead him down the sidewalk with his free hand shoved into his pants pocket in a relaxed posture. Despite the fact she was leading him somewhere he had no knowledge of, he followed her either way and watched her from the corner of his eye. He enjoyed watching the way her long dark hair would dance as they walked or how the smile on her face seemed to light up her features.

He felt a sense of pride whenever someone would pass them and mutter at how lucky he was to have someone so beautiful with him, only making the feeling of him wanting to keep her hidden away from the world and with him and him alone even stronger.

"So," He tilted his head to the side to release the kink that formed in his neck before looking down at her, "Are you going to tell me about your friends before we arrive?"

Keirsten looked at him before facing forward with a pondering expression on her face, "Well, the oldest of the girls is Akira, and she's more reserved than the rest of them. Kyra and Meira are both really friendly, and Reina will be the one to get in your face if anything," She paused, not noticing Fushimi's brows furrowed at the mention of Meira's name, "Kaori is someone who accepts everyone, so I think you'll like her."

"Kaori, who?" She looked up at him with her brows furrowed at the deep tone of his voice.

Keristen blinked, "Kaori Watari."

"I can't go with you," He suddenly said and pulled her to a stop, "If we're going to where Kaori is, I can't go with you."

"You know Kaori?" Keristen looked up at him, "How do you know her?"

Fushimi muttered something under his breath before running his free hand through his messy dark tresses, "I used to be a part of the Red Clan. She's with their King, Mikoto Suoh. If I step foot in that bar, it won't be good."

"Why?" She frowned, "What happened?"

Fushimi looked away from her to avoid answering the question, only to notice that they were one block away from HOMRA's bar. He could clearly see the sign above the door and the dark red brick lining the outer exterior.

"Saruhiko?" She gripped his hand a little more and pulled his attention back to her, "Did you leave with hard feelings?"

His eyes narrowed slightly, "I didn't betray them if that's what you're insinuating."

"Well then, what's the problem?" Keirsten narrowed her eyes back at him, not feeling the least bit threatened by his sudden change in attitude, "We're going in and you're going to behave while you meet my friends. If something happens, I'll ask Kaori to make sure the boys don't get aggressive."

Fushimi was about to retort but was cut off as she tugged him forward towards the doors, "Keirsten, I really don't want to do this–"

"You're going to whether you want to or not," Keirsten's voice was stern, "Besides, whenever we talk about your old friend, you get almost depressed. Can you even sit down and have a real conversation with him?"

Fushimi narrowed his eyes at her but said nothing, even as they walked up the steps for her to open the door.

Keirsten could feel him tense significantly against her, and felt as though she was pulling a solid wall along with her. On the inside of the bar, she noticed only four faces were present. Kusanagi, who was always found standing behind the bar, looked over at her with a smile until his eyes landed on Fushimi. Meira and Reina, who were sitting in a booth off to the side, looked over and smiled brightly at the sight of their friend and her lover.

"Is this him?" Meria jumped up and rushed over, "Hi there! I'm Meria!"

Fushimi ignored her and locked eyes with Kusanagi, his dark expression matching the bartenders from across the room.

"Saruhiko?" Keirsten looked back at him.

Fushimi's eyes averted back down at her, "What?" He looked from her to Meira and realized that she had been standing there to introduce herself, "Hi."

"He's not a talker, is he?" Meira frowned.

Keirsten sighed, "He's not exactly thrilled about being here," She fully turned to face Meira and Reina after she had joined them, "Meira, Reina, this is Saruhiko Fushimi."

Kusanagi watched from the other side of the room and watched Fushimio intensely. He knew from the moment his eyes landed on his former clansman that he was extremely uncomfortable, even now as his shoulders tensed and his posture was rigid.

"Fushimi..." Reina muttered at the sudden recognition before she pointed at him, "You're Yata's former partner! He's told me all about you!"

Fushimi narrowed his eyes at her, "And who exactly might you be?"

"Yata's girlfriend, that's who!" Reina glared up at him with both of her hands perched on her hips in a haughty manner, challenging him.

Keirsten and Meira both watched the two as they stared each other down, "This wasn't how I hoping this meeting would go down..."

Meira offered Keirsten a small smile, "Well... Is he at least treating you good?"

"Yes, he does treat me very good," Keirsten replied with a sigh, "I was hoping that when he met all of you that things would go a lot more smoothly than how they're going right now."

"Saruhiko," Kusanagi's voice broke the tense air wafting around them as the man in question looked over to the bartender, "Come here and have a drink with me. The others aren't going to be here for a while, so I think it's time you and I have a long awaited, well deserved talk."

- x -

"How are things with you and Himori?" Seri looked at Hana as they walked through a clothing store, having decided to go in and investigate after being drawn in by the display in the window, "He seems to be rather fond of you."

Hana smiled and looked at her, "He's a great man. I'm actually a little surprised that he is the way he is out of work, but it's always deceiving when you meet your boyfriend as a coworker."

"That's true," Seri nodded in agreement, "It makes me happy that I met my fiance years ago when I was off duty," She smiled fondly at the memory, "He was running to catch the bus and crashed right into me. He got his coffee everywhere and apologized so many times for getting it all over me."

Hana grinned, "Aw, so you two met due to his clumsiness? That's adorable."

Seri felt her cheeks heat up lightly, "Well, he isn't the sturdiest on his feet even now and he often hurts himself due to the fact that he's not that coordinated, but he has a heart of gold. I wouldn't trade him for the world."

"Aww~" Hana giggled, "It's so refreshing to see you so in love," Seri looked at her and smiled softly, "You're so... Frigid at work, and have such a burden placed on you as the captain's right hand enforcer."

"Yes," Seri sighed, "Sometimes it's hard to upkeep that appearance, but as you yourself are aware, it is for the greater good to maintain the way things flow so smoothly between the Special Unit members."

Hana nodded in agreement, "I'm still shocked that captain Munakata put me right below you as third in command along with Fushimi, although I know he isn't too thrilled about that."

"He understands that your authority matches his own but at different levels," Seri looked at the selection of t-shirts in front of her, "However, you know how Fushimi is. He's unhappy in Scepter 4, but he won't admit it aloud. I feel as though he wishes to return to his former clan, but enjoys the power that captain Munakata has given him."

"That's a pretty bold assumption, Seri," Hana commented, "But you're probably right."

"Enough about him, though," Seri eyed her with her icy blues, "Tell me how things are going with Himori, outside of work of course."

Hana smiled and enjoyed the feeling of her cheeks heating up, "We've gotten to know each other rather quickly, and he always seems to be full of surprises. The other night he surprised me with a date to this really amazing local restaurant that's owned by a family that is close with his own."

"That's lovely," Seri smiled, "You seem to like him quite a bit."

"I do," Hana sighed softly, "He's my first boyfriend so I have no horror stories to compare to, but it was worth it to take a chance."

Seri laughed softly at her words, giving her head a little shake at the love-struck look on her face.

- x -

"Damn it!" Hidaka threw his cards onto the table and groaned loudly, "Again?! Why do I keep losing?

Benzai and Fuse laughed at the irritated individual while Enomoto retrieved all of the cards to shuffle them. Goto watched with an amused grin, thoroughly enjoying Hidaka's slow torture. Little did Hidaka know, it was all scaled out in order to get back at him for a comment he'd made in regards to the Special Unit members earlier that day.

Akiyama was enjoying Hidaka's losing streak for other reasons, smirking at his expense.

"We've played five games already and I've lost every damn one!" Hidaka frowned as he threw his tantrum, "What the hell! Even when I get set up to win, you always seem to block me!"

Goto chuckled, "Perhaps you're just having a day of bad luck?"

"Either that or this shit is rigged," Hidaka muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It could be," Enomoto chuckled and grinned, "But I doubt that. We have no reason to plot against you."

Hidaka looked at him, "Only someone who feels guilty would say something like that."

After a moment of silence, the other members burst into laughter. It was then that Hidaka groaned in anger, knowing that his suspicions were true and that his team had been plotting against him from the start.

"I demand a rematch and for the score to be wiped clean!" Hidaka slammed a fist onto the table for emphasis.

Akiyama smirked and picked up his cards once Enomoto handed them all out, "What? Not confident in your ability to win on your own?"

"Oh," Hidaka looked right at Akiyama and smirked, "Just for that, you're going down!"

- x -

"I must thank you for agreeing to accompany me today," Munakata looked down at Eri as the two walked down another isle in the book store, "I was almost unsure whether or not you were willing to leave the bedroom today, with you being so comfortably wrapped up in my blankets and all."

Eri smiled and hugged the books she'd picked out tighter to her chest, "Well, I couldn't exactly trust you by yourself, what with all of these old ladies looking at you with all of your puzzles piled in your arms."

Munakata chuckled, "Ah yes, the familiar faces of all the regulars who know me by name now. Have no fear, Eri, my eyes are only for you."

"How romantic of you to say," Eri rolled her eyes but the grin that split her face was more than happy.

As the two made their way towards the cash, a familiar head of red hair caught Munakata's attention and forced him to stop to inspect further. Sure enough, Munakata's eyes rested on the Red King who was standing beside a rather beautiful woman and his female Red clansman, Anna Kushina, as they stared at a whole shelf of books suitable for infants.

"Ah, Suoh," Munakata turned to face him and addressed his rival with a friendly smile, "How nice to see you out and about."

He could see Mikoto's shoulders tense for a split second before the man's amber eyes turned to look at his own cerulean ones. Munakata chuckled inwardly at the completely unenthusiastic look expressed on the Red King's face.

"Ah, Munakata," Mikoto ran a hand over his hair, "What a surprise to see you here."

The woman who had been standing beside Mikoto turned and looked at him curiously, "Munakata? Ah, so you must be the Blue King."

"I am," Munakata confirmed and smiled down at her, "Reisi Munakata," He shifted so the pile of puzzle boxes could be held by one hand and extended his other towards her (much to Mikoto's displeasure), "A pleasure to finally meet you."

Kaori accepted his hand and smiled back out of politeness, "Kaori Wat–"

"-Suoh," Mikoto cut her off, "She's my wife."

Munakata blinked and had a look of surprise on his face, "So the rumors are true, that you finally settled down and wed. My sincerest congratulations, Suoh."

"Thanks," Mikoto nodded his head towards the Blue King before his eyes drifted to a shy blue-eyed girl standing behind Reisi, "Who might she be?"

Munakata looked back at Eri and smiled softly, "She's my lover, Eri Chiharu."

"Chiharu?" Amber eyes regarded her more closely, "I see. I heard one of the Chiharu's were still alive. Fancy that that she'd end up with you."

Munakata took that as a compliment rather than the insult he knew it was supposed to be, "Why thank you," His eyes landed on a book held in Kaori's hands, "Shall I offer my congratulations for the pregnancy?"

Kaori blushed, "Oh, this isn't for me," She giggled and held it to her chest, "This is for one of our clansman's lover. She's a month away from her due date and is getting rather anxious about everything, so Anna and I decided to surprise her with a few books."

"How very thoughtful of you," Munakata smiled.

"Does she know what she's having?" Eri asked, finally walking around Munakata to join the conversation with a new breath of courage even though the idea of being so close to the infamous Red King made her squirm with slight fear.

Kaori looked at her and giggled, "No, she didn't want to know and made the nurses promise when she'd gone in for her ultrasound that they wouldn't reveal the sex to her. She even used her gifted powers to block our little Anna's ability so it would be a complete surprise to everyone when her baby is born."

Anna looked up at Eri and studied her for a moment, feeling herself somewhat entranced by the many aura's swimming around inside of her despite the blue one that circled around her so fully. Eri noticed this and offered the young strain a friendly smile, unaware of the little ones ability to see her auras.

"Now that you two are married, will you also be bearing an heir to the Red Clan's throne?" Munakata asked with an almost amused tone.

Mikoto grunted and looked away but Kaori smiled up at the Blue King, "Possibly. We're going to wait to make that decision once the excitement from Kyra's little one settles down, although I'm sure seeing a little bundle of join crawling around will just make my motherly instincts go on overdrive."

Munakata nodded and watched as Mikoto looked down at Kaori with a warm, loving expression in his eyes at her words. If he were to put what he saw into words, it would have left him entirely speechless to see the man whose clan usually instigated his ventures out of the office be so openly expressive with his lover. Despite their hardships, Munakata felt endeared by the sight and couldn't help but feel happy for the man he saw as a friend and a rival.

"Well, give my warmest wishes for a safe birth," Munakata smiled at the two before looking down at Eri, "Shall we go?"

Eri looked at him and nodded before turning to Kaori, "It was a pleasure to meet you!"

"You as well," Kaori smiled at her and waved as she turned to follow Munakata.

- x -

"You know, when you decided to make your move and leave you could have mentioned it to me if not to any of the others," Kusanagi cleaned the glass he held in his hands while Fushimi sat with his elbow leaning on the bar, his drink now room temperature with moisture lining the glass due to the fact the ice cubes had melted fully, "You should know me well enough that I wouldn't have judged you."

Fushimi's eyes trailed from Keirsten, who was sitting at the booth sipping her own drink with Meira and Reina talking fluidly about whatever it was their topic was, "I couldn't talk to any of you because you wouldn't have understood my reasons for leaving."

"Assuming what someone has to say is a bad habit, Saruhiko," Kusanagi set the newly polished glass down before picking up another, "So tell me, did you leave because of Yata?"

At the mention of his former best friend's name, Fushimi clicked his tongue in annoyance, "What would it matter if he was a reason or not?"

"I figured as much," The bartender couldn't help but grin, "I've had a long time to think about why you did what you did, Saruhiko. As you can imagine, it hit us all pretty hard but I personally didn't think you would go about joining the Blue's."

Fushimi eyed him, "I knew what I was losing when I left for Scepter 4, Izumo."

"I had high hopes for you," Kusanagi finally released the sigh he'd been holding back.

Instead of replying to his comment, Fushimi's eyes averted back to the dark haired, hazel eyed woman he was dating. She smiled and giggled as the two talked with her so happily.

"Why don't you and Yata apologize to one another and at least clear some bridges that you burnt so your lovely lady can be a part of her friends' lives?" Kusanagi eyed Fushimi closely, interested in how the younger male would react now that Keirsten was a part of their conversation.

Fushimi took a moment to think over an appropriate response before he finally replied, "I won't stop her from coming her to visit."

"I think she'd prefer bringing you with her," Kusanagi pressed.

"I'm not apologizing to Misaki," Fushimi narrowed his eyes, "Not in this lifetime."

The bartender shook his head and inhaled deeply, "You two are really something, you know."

"So I've been told," Fushimi muttered darkly.

The two sat in silence and listened to happy chatter coming from the girls when the bell rang to signal someone was opening the door. Much to Fushimi's utter dismay, the first person to enter the bar was none other than Anna, who was closely followed by Kaori. Behind her, was the one person Fushimi was dreading to see.

"Saruhiko?" Anna looked over at him with a surprised look on her face, matching Kaori's own one.

The older woman stared at him for a moment before looking to Keirsten, who smiled uneasily and shrugged her shoulders.

From behind her, Mikoto's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at his former clansman but he said nothing.

"You look like you're doing well," Kaori walked over to Fushimi and smiled softly, "Has Reisi Munakata been treating you well?"

Fushimi eyed her, "You're asking me how I'm doing?"

"I am," She took her seat on the stool beside the one he was perched on and made his escape more difficult while she interrogated him, "Even though you defected to an enemy clan, I still worry about you."

Fushimi looked from the woman beside him down to the still full glass that sat in front of him, "You shouldn't waste your time worrying about me of all people."

"Why not?" His eyes snapped up to her as she looked at him with such a calm, warm demeanor, "When you and Misaki joined our family, I watched you break out of your shell even though you were uncomfortable at first. You were and still are like one of my kids, Saruhiko."

Her last statement somewhat shocked him but he made no reply. When he heard shuffling from beside him and the sound of steel being pulled across the hardwood flooring coming from his other side, his spine went rigid knowing it was Mikoto who had taken the seat.

"I'll be honest with you kid," His voice was deep and reverberated from the deepest cavern of his chest, "I'm not exactly thrilled with you being here right now, but I won't kick you out considering Keirsten has come here more than once and is enjoying her time talking to the girls. However, I won't let your presence being here spoil her time here with the girls should you wish to cause a fuss."

Fushimi bit back a scoff and turned his head slightly to further look away from Mikoto Suoh, "I didn't come here willingly if the thought crossed your mind."

"I didn't think so," Mikoto eyed him before thanking Kusanagi with the ashtray that was set down in front of him before he pulled a cigarette from the pack on the counter and placed it between his lips, "How long do you plan on staying?"

Kaori watched the two and their exchange, "Mikoto..."

"Congratulations, by the way," Fushimi slipped passed Mikoto's question and shifted his eyes to look at Kaori, "On your marriage. I heard the wedding was two weeks ago."

She smiled softly while Mikoto looked right at Fushimi, his eyes narrowed slightly at the younger boy that so bravely brushed him off. He was about to make a comment when Kusanagi snapped his fingers directly in front of his King's face to light the cigarette, effectively drawing his attention away from the Blue clansman beside him.

- x -

"Well, that movie was shockingly disappointing," Andy sighed as he led Saki from the theater doors, "I had high hopes for that one, too."

Saki smiled up at him and hugged his arm gently, "It wasn't that bad, Andy."

"There was hardly any action in it, though!" He frowned, "How could it be promoted as an action movie when they had more talking and stretched out scenes with nothing but silence?"

Amused by his complaining, Saki reached up to poke his cheek, "You're being dramatic! There was plenty of action!"

"Oh, right," He pouted, "Heated debates don't count!"

Saki giggled, "You just wanted to see some fighting, didn't you? Well, there's another movie set to be released next month so why don't I take you to see that one? It looks rather promising."

"Sure!" His expression immediately brightened and she could feel his body lift up from the depths of despair and disappointment, "But I'm still upset about that movie, though."

"Well," Saki shot him a sly look, "I could always take care of that for you?"

Andy looked down at her and grinned, "Oh, really? How might you go about doing that?"

Saki innocently reached down and cupped his bottom with her hand before giving him a gentle squeeze, "Oh, you know... The only way I know how~"

"Oh, Saki~" He sighed happily, "What would I do without you?"

- x -

"It's so depressing how fast the day goes when we finally have it off," Enomoto frowned as he helped each of his Special Unit members clean up the table, "We still have three more months before the next day off duty, and that's pending if the captain decides to give it to us."

Hidaka and Fuse nodded in agreement while Benzai gave him a calm look, "It could be worse, Enomoto."

"I know," The younger male sighed.

Akiyama chuckled softly at his fellow clansman as he and Kamo heaved the table they had been using up into the air to take it back to the storage room. Goto followed with two of the cushions they'd been sitting on while motioning to the others to grab the rest.

"Sorry that you didn't get to spend the day with Hana," Kamo looked at Akiyama, "I know you try to spend time out of work with her, but Seri got to her first."

Akiyama offered him a smile and shrugged, "She needs to spend time with another woman every now and then. I can't be her only source of entertainment."

"True," Kamo chuckled, "I remember when my wife would get cranky every time her plans were spoiled whenever she couldn't go and spend time with her friends. Women need a break from the testosterone, just like we need a break from them every now and then."

Akiyama nodded in agreement, "Speaking of which, have you seen Momoko lately?"

"Unfortunately, no," Kamo sighed, "With our heavy schedules and her mother's strict visitation agreement, it makes it difficult for me to spend time with her. I'll be going to see her sometime next week, though."

Akiyama offered him a supportive smile, "I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

"I hope so," Kamo looked at him, "Sometimes I feel as though I've failed as a parent, you know?"

"Don't think like that," Akiyama admonished, "She's too young to understand that you and your ex-wife didn't work out, so when the times comes just sit her down and be straightforward with her. It's the only appropriate thing you can do."

Kamo nodded and smiled slightly, "Thanks for that, Himori."

"Anytime," He smiled back.

- x -

"S-Saki~" Andy gasped loudly as his eyes lidded in pleasure, "You're amazing, you know that?"

Saki grinned and continued moving, enjoying every little movement or twitch of Andy's flesh that she could produce from her ministrations. The male beneath her shuddered as she repeated her movements, each time with a more precise action that followed and excited the orange haired male further.

"Should this be the moment that I boast about getting my amazing skills from my mother?" Saki giggled.

Andy sighed deeply as Saki pressed her knuckles into a knot in his back before twisting her wrist to work it out, "Oh, you can boast all you want~" He moaned as she brought her other hand closer to his spine and felt relieved when his disks cracked to relieve some pressure, "Ahhh~"

"You sound like you're having sex, you know that right?" Saki mused, "It's quite funny, actually!"

He looked back at her with a sheepish grin on his face, "Well, this feels almost as good as making love to you does!"

Saki felt her cheeks heat up slightly as she giggled and continued her work, "I was thinking of taking message therapy in school, Andy. What do you think?"

"I think you'd do amazing at it!" He moaned again when she released yet another knot from his lower back, "With those magic hands of yours, I'm sure you'd make quite an impression~"

She smirked and leaned down to nuzzle the crook of his neck, "Wouldn't you get jealous though, having another man enjoy my amazingly awesome messages?"

A squeal erupted from her lips as Andy pushed himself up, knocking Saki over onto the side of the mattress as he climbed over her with a sly grin, "I don't have to be jealous, when I know that at the end of the day I'm the one who gets to take you home~"

"Oh, Andy," She sighed happily, "My big, strong man~"

- x -

"You ready to go?" Keirsten had walked over to Fushimi as she stood off to the side, absentmindedly staring at the jukebox situated on the far side of the bar beside the leather sofa, "I know you weren't all that thrilled to be here in the first place, but we can leave now if you want."

Fushimi looked down at her and nodded, "If you're ready."

"Meira went to go meet Rikio for dinner and Reina offered to start supper here so I'm good," She looked up at him as she extended her hand, "I hope you're not mad at me..."

Off to the side, Mikoto watched Fushimi closely as he slowly reached out to take Keirsten's hand and laced his fingers with her own. Kaori, who was sitting quietly beside him, also kept her eyes on the two as Fushimi lead Keirsten to the door.

"Bye, Kaori!" Keirsten looked over her shoulder and waved with a small smile.

Kaori waved back with her own smile before looking at Mikoto, "Stop glaring."

"I'm not," He turned to his drink and lifted it to his lips, "I'm disappointed, if anything."

...

Keirsten followed Fushimi at a brisk pace until the two were far enough away from HOMRA for his liking, where he slowed down to a more comfortable stride, "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"I did," She looked up at him, "Kusanagi seems like he's missed you being around."

"He was preparing me to replace him once he retired from his duties in HOMRA and the bar," Fushimi revealed, "I suppose aside from Misaki, my leaving affected him just as bad."

Keirsten sighed, "You know, I'm sure you would feel better if you made amends with them all. I know things wouldn't go back to the way they once were, but it could be a start."

"No," Fushimi quickly replied, "I can't go back there and pretend like nothing's happened, especially if I have to face Misaki and Mikoto again."

"Kaori seemed to be happy that you were there," Keirsten argued, "And I'm pretty sure her opinion matters just as much as Mikoto's?"

Fushimi finally looked down at her, "Were you planning this all along? For me to be slowly integrated back into the Red Clan?"

"No," She sighed, "But I was hoping that I could convince you to give your friendship with them another try."

He remained silent up until the two made it to her apartment, where he waited for her to unlock her door so she would be safely inside before he left. When she gripped the handle to the door, she turned to him and offered for him to join her until he absolutely had to go but he declined. Normally, it would have bothered her slightly for him to brush her off, but considering the circumstances she didn't pursue the matter further.

"If you wish me to, I'll give it an honest try," Fushimi finally said with a heavy sigh.

Keirsten looked up at him and smiled softly, reaching up to cup his cheek, "I appreciate it, but I don't want you to force yourself just to appease my wishes."

"I want to," He looked into her hazel eyes, "Really."

Knowing he was bluffing and was just agreeing to set her mind at ease, she sighed and nodded, "Thank you, Saruhiko."

Fushimi reached up to cup the base of her neck before leaning down to claim her lips in a gentle kiss. It surprised her, due to the fact his usual advances were more passionate and urgent than this. Sighing softly, she brought her arms up to wrap them around his neck while he used his free hand to bring her body closer to his at the waist and held her to him. When they pulled apart, he gently brought her head forward so that her forehead was pressed against his collar bone.

"I can't bear the thought of losing you, too," Fushimi whispered into her as he held her tightly against him, "You know that, right?"

Keirsten nodded against the fabric of his jacket and closed her eyes, "I'm not going anywhere, Saruhiko."

"I know..." He closed his eyes and remained still, inhaling the sweet smell of mint and strawberry from her shampoo and body wash, "I know."

- x -

"Will you be joining me this evening?" Munakata asked as he and Eri walked back into Scepter 4's lobby, "Or are you going to retreat to the dorms again?"

Eri pretended to give his question a lot of thought, "Hmm, good question," She caught the narrowed, halfhearted glare he was giving her before she smiled, "I'll be joining you. Besides, your bed is a lot more comfortable than mine is, so why would I leave you to have it all to yourself? That would be just cruel and very selfish of you, Reisi."

Munakata chuckled and nodded as they walked down the hall to his private quarters. When they arrived, he deposited the seven boxes of mixed puzzles onto his desk before looking over to Eri. She pulled her jacket off and set it on the expensive looking lounge chair off to the corner of the bed before reaching down to unbuckle the belt around her waist. He felt himself smile when she quickly rid herself of her pants, standing there in her blue lacy underwear and a white t-shirt with a painted heart on it.

"I see you've become quite accustomed to being in the same room as me while undressing," Munakata mused while she proceeded to pull the white shirt over her head, revealing a matching blue bra that made her bust look ever so enticing to the Blue King, "I happy about that."

Eri looked over and smiled, "Well, if I pretended to be shy you'd make quick work of getting me out of that, so why even try?"

"Understandable," Munakata chuckled.

Once he rid himself of his jacket, he quickly unbuttoned his black dress shirt but didn't discard it as he crossed the room over to Eri and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. He sighed contently, enjoying the feel of the warm flesh of her back pressed against his exposed torso. It pleased him even more when she brought her hands up to rest them over his arms, holding him there while he caged her against his body.

Leaning her head back against his shoulder, she looked up at him with a smile, "You know, you're a lot more sensual than I ever imagined you would be."

"I told you that this connection was more appropriate between lovers," Munakata leaned down and pressed his lips against her exposed shoulder, "It pleased me to no end when you accepted my offer."

Eri sighed softly at the touch of his lips and shuddered when his bangs brushed against her exposed flesh in a ticklish manner, "How could I when you made the offer too great to resist?"

"Hmm," He hummed against her as he continued pressing his lips further up her shoulder and to her collarbone, "Perhaps I should have used that tactic from the very beginning?"

Eri closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip as she felt his lips make their way up the base of her neck, "I doubt that back when you first caught me I would have been more willing to share your bed before I was ready," Gasping softly, she felt his teeth creep out to nip at her tender flesh, "Although, you really were quite persuasive."

"I can be when the occasion calls for it," He mused, "Now then," He released one of his hands from the grip he had on his other forearm and began caressing the expanse of her body, "Shall I use my powers of persuasion for this situation, as well?"

Eri giggled and rolled her eyes despite herself before looking at him, reaching her hand up to lace her fingers into his royal blue locks, "You don't need to," With that said, she pulled him into a passionate kiss, igniting a fire that had sparked into a carnal desire earlier upon entering the room.

- x -

"Thank you for spending the day with me," Seri and Hana stopped in front of the younger woman's door as she turned to face her, "I appreciated having some girl time."

Hana smiled, "It was my pleasure. After all, you are one of my closest friends, Seri."

Feeling endeared by that, Seri offered Hana a smiled before waving her goodbye and retreated down the hall to her room as she carried the bags holding her purchases.

Hana quickly entered her room and dropped her bags onto her mattress, deciding to change into something more comfortable and opted for her pajama bottoms and a plain muscle shirt before heading out to go find Akiyama. She figured to end the relaxing day she'd had spent with Seri, that she would enjoy an hour or two with her not-so-secret boyfriend.

When she found him, he was just exiting the storage room with Kamo and smiled as she approached, "Usual routine today, Himori?"

"Of course," He chuckled and smiled back, "How was your time with Miss Awashima?"

"Very good," She grinned, "I bought more than I probably should have, but I don't usually get to to enjoy a day full of shopping."

Kamo offered her a friendly smile before ushering a grinning Hidaka away from the two, followed by Benzai, Enomoto and Fuse. Goto waved at her before following the rest of them down the hall towards the male's dormitory, leaving Akiyama to stand in the middle of the hall openly exposed with Hana.

"Would you like to sit outside with me?" Hana asked, smiling happily when he nodded and began to follow her towards the door the outside training area towards the back of Scepter 4's building to enjoy the rest of their day off.

Phew! What a chapter! Lots and lots of things going on in one day, it was hard to break it all up to give everyone at least a little bit of exposure! Sorry about Andy's part though, for those of you who may have begun to get excited for a naughty scene. I do like to tease, so I won't even attempt to lie about that~ ;)

And sorry Gabby, I did it again... I cut of Munakata's sex scene yet again! LOOL

Also, when I took a quick peak at Kamo's profile as well as quickly skim through the Blue's manga, I didn't see a name for his daughter so I improvised. If there is one, someone let me know and I will be more than happy to change it! :)

I already have the next chapter typed out and ready to go, so it will be up fairly shortly after this one! Stay tuned! :D

~ Kayori, out!