**A.N.: So, I finally finished this, and I would like to thank everyone for their patience and support as I worked through this. A LOT of decisions went into this chapter regarding the future of the fic, some of which I had been avoiding because I wanted it both ways. Special thanks to sayagirl24 for letting me use her OC Araminta (Ara), and for walking through some of these scenes with me. Thank you for the reviews!

Oh! Slight warning for this chapter regarding mild swearing and threats of violence. (It's super mild, but I'm paranoid.)**

...I broke it.

The register's display was completely blank, though the little light on the side indicated it was on. Kyouji had tried restarting it, but there was no change in the functionality of the machine. The little green light shone mockingly up at him, but the display refused to respond.

Wonderful.

At that moment, the café door opened with a jingle and a mildly disgruntled customer stepped inside. Wringing rainwater out of her dark ponytail, the woman hung her helmet on a peg by the door. She began to approach the counter with a polite smile, before raising her eyebrows in surprise and recognition.

"I haven't seen you in a while, how've you been, Kyouji?" Adjusting the wristbands under her jacket, she finally made it to the counter, not bothered by the blank look Kyouji was giving her. "It is Kyouji, right?"

...am I supposed to know her? She looks... vaguely familiar. Black hair and blue eyes aren't too common, so why can't I think of a name?

"Yeah, it is..." Kyouji searched his brain, trying to think of her name, but ultimately failing. Worst. Person. Ever. ...wait. "Sorry, but, you are...?"

"Oh, don't even worry about it. My name's Araminta, though everyone calls me Ara, for short." She smiled again. "We talked a bit in high school, but I was usually pretty quiet."

Well, that explains it.

His focus in high school hadn't exactly been on other people, he'd been more focused on graduating, what with all the days he had had to miss. Every now and then someone would approach him and try to talk to him, usually to make them feel better about themselves, but they never stuck around. It wasn't like he'd had a whole lot of time to spend with friends, anyway.

"It has been a while, then." It'd been roughly three years, but who was counting? "So, what can I get you, Ara?"

Kyouji had checked, and the cash drawer still opened. If she paid in cash, there'd be no problem, otherwise... he'd figure something out. He had out the mostly untouched notepad to jot down prices and tax, just to make sure he had a record of things the register would usually keep track of. It shouldn't be too difficult, it was just adding and multiplying, grade school stuff.

"I'd like... some hot cocoa and sweet bread, please."

"Got it. Shouldn't take too long." Kyouji made a quick note of the price as he set the machine for her order.

After placing the cup under the spout, he wrote down the final total and turned back to see that she hadn't moved from the counter.

Why is she still standing there?

"So, I saw Gogo's bike outside, I was wondering if she was around."

They know each other? Huh. Small world. Kyouji nodded, gesturing upstairs. "She and Hiro just went to check on Hiro's little brother." This feels familiar. "I'm not sure when she'll be down."

Hopefully he wouldn't be sent upstairs again. When Gogo had insisted earlier, every step up the stairs had fed the growing feeling of invading somewhere he didn't belong. Considering what he had to do, he had a way to go before he could convince himself to be comfortable in their home. This arrangement was so different from how he normally operated, which was to identify a mark, take it, and vanish. There was no aftermath, no repercussions so long as he was successful, and, if he chose correctly, he'd never see the victim again.

While these thoughts distracted him, Araminta came to a decision, having glanced out the window at the rain distastefully.

"I'll stay and see if she comes down. I'll take any excuse to not go back outside, and swim practice got cancelled, so I don't have anywhere else to be."

Kyouji hummed in acknowledgement, putting his thoughts aside for later.

When her drink was finished, Kyouji delivered it and let her pick out which sweet bread she wanted, since there was no reason she couldn't, as the café wasn't busy. Thankfully, she paid with cash, and Kyouji handed back the change, expecting her to go find a seat while she waited. Instead, she hung around the counter, looking like she was considering something. Finally, she spoke up after taking a sip of her drink.

"So, I haven't seen you here before, what have you been up to since high school?"

...What do I even say to that? I really should have come up with something by now... Half-truth it is then.

"Working." Kyouji shrugged, hoping to convey disinterest, and not deception.

Ara laughed. "Oh, really? Here I'd thought you'd have retired by now."

And what is that supposed to mean? ...oh. She's being sarcastic.

Kyouji was saved from having to cobble together a response when Gogo and Hiro came down the stairs. Gogo spotted Ara, and quickly made her way over.

"You here for another race?" Gogo smirked, crossing her arms and popping her gum.

"Not in this weather. Cars wouldn't be able to see us." Ara responded, taking another sip of her drink.

"Ah, woman up!"

The girls made their way over to a table near the window, continuing to chat out of earshot. It appeared that Gogo was still attempting to convince Ara, and she seemed to be considering it.

Hiro grinned at their actions, leaning against the counter and appearing more composed than he had that morning. Whatever had been bothering him must have been solved or put from his mind.

Well, maybe now would be a good time to tell him about the register...

Before Kyouji could voice anything, however, Hiro spoke up.

"Chatting up the customers, huh?" His voice still sounded like he had attempted to swallow barbed wire, so his tone of voice was all but indiscernible. Either way, Kyouji had not been expecting that.

"No!" Too harsh. "That is, I wasn't... I don't-"

But Hiro had started laughing good-naturedly, "Relax, I was joking. Besides, it's not like we're busy. It's just the most social I've ever seen you be here."

Kyouji shrugged, pushing his bangs back off of his face. "She spoke to me first. Anyway," might as well deal with it now, "there's something wrong with the register. The light comes on and the drawer opens and everything, but the display's shot."

Hiro looked confused for a moment, coming around the counter to get a better look. Kyouji watched the rain out the window while he waited, drumming his fingers on the wall he'd leaned up against. Hiro hummed and pressed a small tab on the side of the machine, removing an electronic chip before sliding it back in place. A small message appeared on the bottom of the screen, before quickly disappearing and returning to it's original blankness.

'Memory card is full.' Hiro chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I knew I was forgetting something. I've been meaning to get a replacement for the past couple of months, I'll have one in by Sunday."

Hiro was assuming Kyouji could even see the screen from where he was, which he couldn't, so he was left just as confused as before. "Um, sorry?" So... he's not upset? What's going on? I'm not psychic, though that would be useful... or not. Some things I'd rather not know.

Hiro turned to him, shaking his head and indicating towards the machine. "You didn't do anything, the memory card's full."

"Oh." Well, people have been mad at me for less. Better to err on the side of caution... though it won't matter in the end.

The sound of chairs scraping across the tile floor drew two sets of eyes to where Gogo and Ara had been previously sitting. The women made their way to the exit and grabbed their helmets, slipping them on before they made their way out the door.

"We'll be back soon!" Gogo let the wind slam the door shut behind them.

Shortly after they left, the lunch crowd trickled in... all three people. The pounding rain was proving to be a greater deterrent than they had previously thought. Realizing the place wasn't going to get busy any time soon, Hiro left Kyouji to continue what he was doing and disappeared into the back room again.

The hours trickled by slowly, with the rare customer, and Kyouji had to mentally remind himself multiple times that he couldn't bring out a syringe and fiddle with it like he normally did. He opted instead to take out his ID, distinctly ignoring the box his hand brushed against in his pocket, and began to flip it between his fingers. Looking up at the clock, he tried to guess how many more people would show up in the remaining hour.

He slipped his ID back into his pocket when the door opened, but Ara and Gogo lingered in the doorway to talk, letting some of the cold air in. Gogo grabbed the rest of her belongings and left, while Ara hung up her helmet again and continued into the café. When she got close enough, Kyouji could see her visibly shivering as she brushed off rainwater.

"Could I get another hot cocoa?"

Kyouji shrugged. "I don't see why not." The machine was preset to cocoa, having been the popular drink of the day, so it only took a couple seconds to start it.

Ara leaned against the counter, intent on an actual conversation. "So, how long have you worked here?"

"A...a couple days." Kyouji was uncertain what this was about. What is she doing?

Ara laughed. "They seem to like you pretty well for only a few days of knowing them."

That stings.

Kyouji fixed his eyes on the floor. "Yeah, they're nice like that."

Of course they had to be decent people... this is stupid, just get over it. Heh, although...

Smirking a little, he looked up at her. "Though maybe the ice was broken when one of them hit me with their car."

Her eyes widened in surprise, and Kyouji noticed her pupils thin, rather than shrink. Okay, that's a little weird, but I don't really have room to talk...

"They hit you with a car?! Who? ...I'm pretty sure it wasn't Gogo, she tends to use her bike instead."

"I'm not sure if you know him: Wasabi, the big guy. Wears sweaters all the time, takes classes up at the college?"

Ara smiled kindly. "Oh yeah, I've heard of him. The neat freak."

Kyouji wasn't certain how comfortable he was with the word 'freak' being used so lightly, but she didn't seem to mean anything by it... if anything it was fondly used.

"Is that why he's always re-cleaning things?" He laughed lightly. "I thought he just didn't think I did it right."

"I've heard he doesn't think anyone does it right except himself. He has his own..." Ara tilted her head. "His own ways of doing things."

"Fair enough." He realized he had no idea what to say next, but noticed her drink was done and passed it to her, thinking through what had already been said while the transaction occurred. "Um, you said something about swim practice?"

Her face lit up and she stood a little straighter, grinning widely. "Yeah! I'm in a team competing to get to the Olympic level."

"That's impressive."

Ara nodded proudly. "How about you? Any sports?"

Kyouji scoffed lightly at the idea, opening his arms to indicate his slight form. "Do I look like I do any sports?" I probably wouldn't last very long.

Her smile turned sad momentarily, Is that pity?, before she looked over him. "You have a pretty good build; I'm sure you'd be good at a few."

"Uh, thank you?" He laughed uncomfortably. "Maybe running?" And that is known as a Freudian slip. Great. Let's make a mental list of all the negative things that could mean...

Luckily her smile remained kind. "Running seems good."

She paused for a moment, rolling the cup between the palms of her hands. "Anyway, I heard they're hiring here. I already have a job as a vet, but I'm going to need a second one, especially after college lets out."

Kyouji nodded. "Gogo mention that to you? Yeah, Hiro's the one to talk to... wherever he disappeared to. If you want in, I'm sure it'll be fine." It's not that difficult.

"Yeah, she did. I can just ask her when it'd be a good time to come talk to him."

"Sounds like a plan to me, though I'm getting the idea that it won't be too formal, if that's what you're expecting."

Ara laughed. "I'm not. I know Gogo pretty well, and have heard about the group a lot. They're pretty chill."

"Then you shouldn't have any problems."

Glancing out the window, Ara noticed the rain had eased to a light drizzle and evening was approaching. "I guess I'll check in tomorrow, I should probably head on home."

"We're closed tomorrow, actually."

"Sunday, then. See ya." She waved as she made her way out the door.

"Bye." That was... different.

Hiro made a last minute appearance at closing time, helping straighten things up while grabbing another way too hot cup of cocoa to ease his throat. When everything was in order and Kyouji was leaving, he insisted Kyouji take some of the food that wouldn't be sellable by Sunday, though it would still be good -"Food laws are a pain"-.

Kyouji left and made his way through town back to the house, eating as he walked, mentally grateful that the rain had stopped, since holding an umbrella and eating at the same time would be difficult. He set about sneaking in through the window again, since the rent idea was entirely subjective to his father's mood. Considering what the next day was... it would be better to just grab some stuff and leave than to attempt to negotiate anything.

It's not like I could have changed anything.

Tossing some clothes into a backpack he was frankly surprised hadn't fallen apart yet, Kyouji listened for any sounds of movement in the house. Deeming it safe enough, he set the backpack by the window and ventured a little further into the house.

When he made it to the bathroom, he tried the faucet, glad to see the water was still on, if not exactly warm. Moving quickly, he took a short, freezing shower and grabbed some essentials on his way out.

I'm not risking coming back here for a while, might as well be prepared.

He'd made it back to the room and was shoving the supplies in his bag when he heard a door slam in the house.

Damn it.

He hadn't been particularly loud, but he hadn't been silent either, thinking the house was still empty. Kyouji swung the backpack on and was opening the window when he heard heavy footsteps approach at a fast rate. He was almost out the window when the door to his room swung open the rest of the way, hitting the opposite wall.

"Hey!"

Kyouji heard the familiar click of a safety being removed and bolted the second both feet hit the ground. If he could make it around the side of the building before he did, he'd be fine. He was infinitely grateful the gate was still unlocked, and he got far enough away fast enough to avoid being spotted again. He leaned against a wall to catch his breath.

Running. Heh. Guess I am good at it.

Looking up at the sky, Kyouji decided he'd better start walking before the clouds decided to empty themselves again. He still had a ways to go.

His hair had finally dried and no longer felt like icicles brushing against his face by the time he made it to his target safe house on the outskirts of the city. Not too many people were able or willing to go out that far to do business, so it was pretty safe from the possibilities of deals going wrong or walking in on a deal one shouldn't have been privy to. Another plus was that it also had a lock on the front door. While it could be easily picked, at least there was some warning, and it deterred those who were too drunk to unlock it.

It was pitch black outside, and though Kyouji was ready to use the meager light from his phone to work on the lock, he was glad when the door swung open without him needing to. Closing and locking the door behind him, Kyouji noticed a light on in the otherwise darkened house.

As he made his way into what would have been the living room if it were still a normal house, Kyouji stopped in his tracks. Sitting in the middle of one of the two facing couches, laptop resting on his crossed legs, was Himitsu, typing away furiously at something. Kyouji briefly considered turning and finding somewhere else to stay, but decided it wouldn't be worth the effort. Instead...

"Are you stalking me?"

Himitsu finally looked up from the computer, looking slightly affronted before he grinned.

"'Ey, I was here first."

"Uh huh." Kyouji dropped his backpack by the second couch, taking a seat and wondering if any of the other rooms had something semi-comfortable to sleep on. It was unlikely, considering the state that most secluded sleeping areas devolved to, but maybe he'd check in a moment when his feet stopped pulsing from the walk. The couch would normally suffice, but it was the audience that bothered him more. He didn't like sleeping in front of people, a fact that he doubted would ever change.

"Soooo, 'ow was work?" Himitsu had continued typing, looking briefly between Kyouji and the screen.

"Really?" Kyouji crossed his arms.

"'Ey, I'm just tryin' to make conversation."

"Hm." Kyouji leaned back against the couch, relaxing his posture. "I think I found my eventual replacement."

At Himitsu's questioning look, he elaborated a little. "For the café. I won't be able to work there after this, but there's this girl that could take my place, and-"

Himitsu started laughing. "Yer way too concerned with 'em. It won't matter what happens after this, ya won't see 'em again."

"Well, maybe if-" Kyouji cut himself off and looked to the side, his mental filter having failed to silence him soon enough.

"...if what, Jadoku?" Himitsu shut his laptop, setting it to the side, suddenly dead serious.

"...if they never find out it's me." Kyouji looked at his hands as they rested in his lap. He didn't dare say what was actually spinning half-formed in his mind.

If I never did it in the first place.

Himitsu relaxed minutely, believing the lesser form of Kyouji's 'if.' "...you got attached." It was a quiet statement, said with absolute certainty.

Kyouji bit the inside of his cheek, choosing his words carefully before looking up. "Why wouldn't I?" That was not what I was going to say, traitor tongue.

"So ya tied yerself to the first group that 'accepted' you?" Himitsu let out a short, humorless laugh. "Gotta break it to ya, they haven't."

Kyouji glared at him. "Himit-"

"No. Y'aren't listening. They haven't. Unless, o' course, y've come clean about the stealin', the blood, th' scales, the real reason yer there..." Himitsu stopped when fear and confusion flashed across Kyouji's face. "What's wrong?"

"That's... how do you know about-" Kyouji subconsciously brought his right arm up to hold his left, where the scales had only begun to fade. He was on the defensive, having been pretty sure that he'd been able to keep that fact from all but a few. Apparently not. He felt the rising need to leave.

"About what, yer scales?" Himitsu didn't see the problem. "O' course I know, information freak, remember?" And there was that word again... though not targeted at me. "Besides, ya aren't that great at hidin' em. Granted, y've gotten better about it, but ya need to be more aware o' yer surroundings."

Kyouji's grip on his arm tightened, and his back hunched slightly as he waited for... something.

"'ey." Something in his voice made him look up again, though Kyouji couldn't read his expression. "It doesn't change anythin', not with me... but do ya really expect it t'be that way with them?"

Still in a state of shock, Kyouji shook his head, unable to find his voice, but not wanting Himitsu to think he thought otherwise. Why isn't he...

"Besides that, it'd be impossible t'avoid lettin' em know it was you, since th' kid can talk an' all."

When Kyouji looked to the side, Himitsu guessed at what was really going on, but he didn't directly call him out on it. "This isn't gonna go away, y'know. Failure here would end... badly for ya."

How would he know... and why would it matter? ...Wait, that's important, why does he know that? Where does he tie into all of this?

Kyouji looked at Himitsu, a pit growing in him as he realized something. He's lying to me. This has never been about some stupid loan. He's involved in this.

"Why are you telling me this?" Kyouji's voice was pitched low and laced with venom he couldn't keep out of it; he was too angry. He stood, feeling a bit more in control on his feet. "What are you getting out of it?"

"Woah, hey." Himitsu stood as well, hands out in a placating manner, though he didn't seem afraid.

Why does he have to be taller than me?

"I-I j'st..."

He never stutters, what is he up to?

Himitsu sighed, letting his arms fall to his sides. "I don't wanna see that 'appen t'ya."

...liar. Liarliarliarliar-

Kyouji turned, intent on getting his bag and leaving, when Himitsu took hold of his left arm.

"Let. Go."

"Ya don't have t'believe me, but if y're still thinkin' o' backin' out, ya need to know somethin', or y're gonna get y'rself killed."

Himitsu didn't let go or continue until Kyouji had turned back to face him, impatience and anger rolling off of him in waves.

"Th' box I gave ya-"

"What about it?" Kyouji cut him off.

"If you would just-" Himitsu bit off the end of that statement, squashing the urge to take the bait and escalate the situation into a shouting match. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before continuing. " –it's gotta low signal transmittin' at all times, can't be turned off. Run with it, and someone'll track ya down. Abandon it, an' they'll start huntin' for ya."

...This is insane. None of this can be that important. Why is this such a big deal?

But even as he was thinking this, his anger was subsiding, leaving him with nothing but an empty ache as he realized the extent, though not the reasons, of what he was involved in.

Also...

"...what do you want?" His shoulders fell, and he looked down.

"What d'you mea-"

Kyouji shook his head, momentarily annoyed, before his expression once again became despondent. "I'm not stupid. You just gave me information that would save my life. You never 'do anything for free,' so... I'd rather know up front what I owe you." Kyouji shrugged, waiting for the verdict.

Himitsu glanced at his watch, before grinning slightly.

12:03

"Consider it a birthday present, 'kay?"

wait, what?

"How the hell do you know when my birthday is?"

**A.N.: Yes, I'm leaving that there. Next chapter will involve the team visiting the island and certain... discoveries being made. See you then!**