Kickoff

September 4th, 2009

Stacking coasters absently in an attempt to make little houses might have been simpler if Misaki wasn't using round pieces of cork, and treating them like cards. What had surprised Saruhiko, as he watched the base roll out from under the stack for the tenth time, was that Misaki didn't seem troubled. His short-tempered friend didn't seem the least bit concerned that he was failing, which was uncharacteristic for his peer. It frustrated him, even more, when he watched Misaki calmly pick up the pieces to start again… and again. Sure enough, when his cohort started stacking for the umpteenth time, Saruhiko was the one to lose his temper. With a quick sweep of his forearm, he knocked all the coasters down and gathered their scattered remains.

"Oi, what was that for?" Misaki barked irately. "I was doin' stuff with those."

"Fix it. Now." Saruhiko moved the coasters out of Misaki's reach and slid his cobalt leer to where Neirah was sitting with Anna across the bar near the front window. The women were relaxing on the couch at the storefront, sharing a one-sidedly lively discussion, but overall, they weren't unapproachable. "Even if she says she is mad about the other day, at least then you'll know." It was pretty clear by the ear-to-ear smiles crossing Neirah's face that she was in a fine enough mood.

Misaki lurched towards his insensitive companion with a furious blush painted over his face. "Yeah, and it'll suck!" he commanded sternly. "We're part of the same clan. What the hell am I gonna do if she hates me?!"

"Join a different clan?"

"I'm serious, Fushimi!"

Tsk. Saruhiko rolled his eyes and flopped his head to the opposing side of his fiery comrade. "Look at it this way. If nothing else, we can all agree that Tsukiyo is one brutally honest woman. If she hated you, she wouldn't have any problem letting you know it. Why do you always have to make this harder than it has to be?"

"Because-"

"Because she's a girl?"

"You aren't being helpful!" Misaki checked his peripherals, not wanting to get caught peeking her way if she happened to be looking, but he lost his nerve half-way and diverted his empty gaze towards the bar's liquor stock instead. In a troubled tone filled with meek defiance, he uttered his retort silently against his folded forearms. "Why do chicks have to be so damn complicated anyways."

Even Saruhiko could admit that Neirah was unique in that regard. Raising his gaze from the view of Misaki resting his face in his arms on the bar, he brazenly checked where his friend had been too nervous. The pressure of resistance between the pair was palpable, and something about that had interested Saruhiko enough to be involved in their rocky relationship. Anticipating that what Yō had said days ago might be more valid than he realized, Saruhiko rushed his words out on his exasperated sigh. "Honestly, Tsukiyo might be the easiest woman to figure out that I've ever met."

Tensing heatedly against the rosewood, Misaki immediately twisted his frustrated pout towards his associate. "Yeah, but you're like the smartest guy I know."

Saruhiko's vacant expression dimmed to consider the familiar faces surrounding them, one of them approaching to prove his point. "Given the company you keep, that doesn't seem like much of a compliment."

"Oi! Yata-san! Wanna come out with me to Osaka?" Rikio's tone was pleasant and eager as he approached the hushed pair like they weren't rooted in their prior conversation. He threw out his hands and waved them around his head in a big circle, being as conspicuous as he could while he spoke, in Misaki's opinion. "By the bay with that big-ass Ferris wheel. There's a place there that just opened up this mochi stand-"

Misaki growled his impatience and subtly beat Rikio in the shin with the toe of his shoe to keep him quiet. It worked, aside from the ghastly howl of pain that came with the man reaching to grip his assaulted leg. "Dumbass! Shut your mouth!" he scolded irately. "Do you want everyone in the place to see how stupid you are?"

"That hurt!" Rikio whined. Although, it was difficult to tell whether the comment or the pain was easier to slough off. "What was that even for? Are you tryin' to be sneaky or somethin'?"

Ignoring Rikio's groans of discomfort, Misaki shifted his eyes towards his fixed shoulder before addressing Saruhiko. "Is she looking?"

Heaving an exhausted sigh, Saruhiko turned to check the couch, flopping his head lazily into his upturned palm. "Yeah, out the window."

On Saruhiko's inspiration, Rikio straightened and checked the storefront where the ladies were seated, then quickly diverted to where Misaki was heaving a calmed sigh. "Yata-san, are you having a hard time talkin' with Neirah again?"

Misaki knotted up his face snobbishly and sipped his drink. "None of your business, fatass. Just go eat your fuckin' cake."

Rikio looked towards Saruhiko for an explanation, which proved to be moot, so then he bunched his face when diverting towards Misaki. "Maybe I'll just go ask Neirah if she wants to come with me then."

Misaki snorted and turned away from where Rikio had tossed out his hands in surrender before departing. "Don't care, so long as you're not still callin' her Nē-chan," he mocked bleakly. The last thing he wanted to do was spill any details to his instigating companion. Since he'd joined the Red Clan, Misaki had watched Rikio become even closer to Neirah, and he knew that if he divulged to his old chum, Neirah would know everything by that evening. It wouldn't take long for the savage beauty to extract the information from his spineless companion.

Shaking away the thoughts plaguing his mind, Misaki turned up his nose and pressed his resistance. "Besides, that place is a tourist trap, and you'd be gettin' there late." His tone flattened sheepishly. "That whole damn place's gonna be packed with cheezie couples wantin' to get stuck at the top of that stupid wheel thing."

"You mean the one by the harbour?" Saruhiko instigated dryly. "Ever wonder if that's why he's askin' Tsukiyo to go with him?"

Misaki bumped his balled fists against the top of the bar, his face burning with bashful fury. "Great! Now I'm gonna spend the rest of the day with that creepy image in my head!" He buried both sets of clawing fingertips into his hair and shook his head in an attempt to shake out the materializing images. "What'd I just say about being helpful!?"

Tsk.

Catching the sight of the commotion out of the corner of his eyes, Izumo turned to watch Rikio throw his hands up and dismiss Misaki's poor attitude with a low growl. The view had quickly livened when Misaki began to flail like he'd seen something terrible, despite him being the only source of notable movement within HOMRA's walls. Figuring that Misaki's face was in a knot for the most obvious of reasons, Izumo approached.

"Whatever," Misaki growled in defeat. "Maybe he will take Tsukiyo with him, and I'll finally be able to-"

Misaki yelped when Izumo trapped his head in a commanding clamp that turned it about a hundred degrees until he was facing the window where Neirah had just turned down Rikio's offer to spend the afternoon with Anna. But she didn't do so without first taking Rikio's hand between hers with a joyful smile, making him promise to bring her back something matcha-flavoured.

As soon as Izumo had retracted his fingers, Misaki was scampering around in his seat like a rubber band snapping back to form, the pigment in his cheeks deepening as he started to rave. "What the hell, Kusanagi-san?! Why did you do that?!"

"Talk to her." Even though Izumo felt like a skipping record, he couldn't bring himself to stop. "You're not a kid anymore. We shouldn't have to hold your hand for you to get up the balls to say you're sorry."

Misaki climbed to his feet, which coincidentally hadn't made him much taller than when he was sitting at the bar. "And just what the hell do I have to be sorry about?!"

"That's a good question," Izumo instigated dryly. "Why don't you ask her."

Misaki growled to himself as Izumo was called to a customer's aid, and began to mock the command under his breath. "Why don't you ask her," he chimed in a faux-feminine tone. After correcting his rugged demeanour, he turned away from the bar entirely with a curt snort. "You know what, let's go, Fushimi."

Startled by the sudden command, Saruhiko dropped his head from his hand with a somewhat enthusiastic murmur. "Go where?"

"I dunno, anywhere!" he eagerly proclaimed. "Let's go hit up the arcade or somethin'. Maybe that's where Mikoto-san and Totsuka are."

Saruhiko was moments from keenly agreeing to join his friend when his hand was rising back to the bar to support his head, his tone flattening dully. "You know what, on second thought, I'm not all that interested."

Hn? Misaki cocked a brow, turning over his shoulder to face Saruhiko curiously before the pair were interrupted by the sight of someone walking through the bar door. It didn't hit them nearly as hard as the first time it had happened, but the moment Misaki's eyes met the fierce golden glower of their guest, he was forgetting his previous conundrum and raising his voice over the bustle of the afternoon bar crowd. "Oi! What the fuck is he doing here?!"

Tomaya slowly rolled his lethargic gaze over the bar to meet Misaki's passion. The dark circles beneath his eyes hadn't left, but they weren't any more ominous than they were the last time he visited HOMRA. He was relieved to see that neither Mikoto or Tatara seemed to be around, but the splitting headache he nursed was certainly cursing Misaki's frantic hollering. "I'm not lookin' for trouble," he rumbled lowly.

Misaki bit out a harsh growl and lunged forward, continuing to shake the fist he flexed. "Then you'd better beat it, pal! 'Cause trouble's all you're gonna find here!" He turned to watch where Neirah hastened to her feet with a deep furrow in her brow and a wicked grin curved his lips. He preferred not to be on the receiving end of Neirah's wrath, but unleashing the ferocious bombshell on their enemies was more than a little satisfying. "Yeah! Tell him, Tsukiyo-san!"

"Tomo?" Neirah's voice was a surprisingly gentle coo as she stood and made her way towards where Tomaya lingered just inside the building. "You're- I mean…"

"Hahhh?!" Misaki fled to Saruhiko's side as Neirah's face brightened with a grateful smile. "Wait- Why're you smiling?!"

"I'm so glad you're okay," she gently announced. "I mean, after everything that happened-"

Tomaya's amber eyes dropped for a moment, his fleeing scan making contact only a couple of times between escapes. "Y' mean, your king didn't tell you?"

She shook her head, but it didn't intend to deny him. "I just never asked," she admitted softly. "I trusted that if you were okay, we'd probably see each other again." Her expression darkened worrisomely. "And if you weren't… then I guess I didn't want to know."

The two startled when Misaki suddenly popped up between them, straining to meet Tomaya's threat head-on despite a significant height difference. "Hey, back off!" he spat vindictively. "Just 'cause Mikoto-san isn't here doesn't mean you can just walk on in like you own the damn place!"

"Yata."

When Misaki's gaze cut over his shoulder to where Izumo locked eyes with him, he faltered to the sight of the barkeep shaking his head. "Eh!? But Kusanagi-san-!?"

"Go sit down, Yata." Neirah's tone was callous as she stepped past his flustered form to take Tomaya's side. "Mikoto-sama and Tetsuko have settled their differences. There's no reason to hold a grudge."

Misaki lowered the fingers that he wanted to use to stop her, his expression dropping with the plummet of his heart. "B-but… Tsukiyo…"

"If you don't like him, that's fine," she commanded sourly. "But Tetsuko is my friend." She turned her wanting eyes towards Izumo, who did no more than nod once to authorize the exchange. When she turned her gaze back to Misaki's, it was hardening with a warning. "I'm going to spend some time with Tetsuko. Please don't interfere."

Misaki was left dumbfounded in the middle of the bar floor, waiting desperately for someone to say something to stop her. Knowing Tomaya's abilities terrified the rattled Misaki. The last time she'd gone with the unpredictable Strain, he walked in on them as they prepared for combat.

Unfortunately, the only one permitted to chase after her was Anna, and that made Misaki even more apprehensive. He reached out to the young Strain as she zipped past him in a light jog to catch up with Neirah, choking on his need to demand that all three of them stay within his sights. "Anna-chan, stay back!"

From where Anna had reached Neirah's side and slipped her hand between the woman's tan fingers, she turned to shake her head towards Misaki. "Onē-san promised to spend the afternoon with me." When she turned back to look up at Neirah with bright eyes full of wonder, she made what looked like an attempt at a smile. "Is it okay?"

Neirah's heart warmed as she tightened her grip on Anna's hand before turning to face Tomaya. "Tomo, is it okay if Anna-chan comes? I did promise to spend the afternoon with her."

Tomaya looked down into Anna's kind eyes, his expression heavy with fatigue and void of all conflict. Finally, he turned away with an indifferent shrug. "Doesn't make a difference to me."

"B-but-" After watching them depart, Misaki immediately turned to face Izumo in an attempt to beg reason from the man. "Kusanagi-san! Is it really okay to let Anna go too!?"

"Don't be so loud in the bar," Izumo gently reprimanded as he thrust Misaki into a free seat by his shoulder. "We've still got customers here."

Leaning forward onto the bar, Misaki hushed his tone but still crammed it with urgency. "But that guy-"

"Don't worry about it."

Misaki startled at the command and quickly turned to look outside over the empty streets.

Catching the boy's concern, Izumo sighed and admitted that slight divulgence might help to settle his riled nerves. "Relax, Yata-chan," he reassured him soundly. "That night, when you boys took out that mafia gang, Mikoto and Tetsuko came to terms, so to speak."

"Terms?!" Misaki retaliated bluntly. "I thought he went out there to kick his ass?!" He barked his agony when Izumo beat the butt of his palm over the vanguard's skull.

"What'd I say about yappin' like an idiot in the bar?" he repeated. "There's a time and a place, Yatagarasu, and this is neither."

Misaki groaned and clutched his aching head while Saruhiko shifted seats to join his side. He stayed quiet for a moment, but his presence was somehow comforting to the irked youth who was still trying to wrap his brain around the dilemma. "Hey…"

Groaning softly in pain, Misaki quietly turned one eye to face where Saruhiko was staring vacantly forward into the establishment. He didn't respond. Instead, he waited for the reprimand to come from his colleague as well.

"Wanna hit the arcade?"

Misaki's second eye opened, brightening to Saruhiko's thoughtful suggestion.

Saruhiko slowly turned and connected their gazes for a moment before continuing. "You know, to get your mind off all this."

Misaki's face lit up with bashful glee as he admired the ingenious man at work. "Hah! You bet I do!"

The silence between the trio of superhumans was far from comfortable, but nobody was feeling unsettled enough to walk stiffly either. Their feet guided them all on a meandering path because nobody had a destination in mind, much less taken the lead of their trek. Finally, Neirah made an effort when she realized there was a modest park set up on the edge of a narrow strip of sand. It consisted of a swing set and a couple of ugly steel creatures bound to the earth by a thick rusty spring. It wasn't much of an excuse to stop walking, but Anna did enjoy swings.

She turned her kind gaze towards the fair child, who still wandered patiently by her side. "Anna-chan, would you like to play on the swings?" She almost sighed her relief when the tender Strain nodded her head like she may have been hoping they'd stop. Neirah didn't bother asking Tomaya for permission as she released the dove to charge the steel frame. Walking the streets in silence wasn't what any of them needed.

That left Tomaya and Neirah alone to linger on the playground's edge, as uncertain of what to say as the last time they met. Neirah's heart grew heavier with every minute that passed, and soon, she was tipping her eyes to where the sight of his hands disappearing into his sweater pocket caused her to pause. She didn't know why it was the only thing she could think of at the time, but when her lips parted, she was helpless to do any better.

"That wasn't my boyfriend. The one that hurt you, that is," she admitted softly. She peeked up at his unmoved expression before turning to face where he was quietly observing Anna's play. "But… I'm sorry that he did." She was startled when he took his first step towards Anna, but even more so when he responded in a low rasp.

"Don't feel pain, remember?"

Tomaya was thankful that Neirah didn't automatically set a defensive lock on him when he began to move, but he was even more impressed by the bravery of the child to linger during his approach. When he was no more than a lengthened stride away from her, he stopped, looking down into her gentle gaze as she stared back up at him without the slightest hesitation. He could appreciate her courage and willingness to give him a chance that he had once so passionately denied her.

Neirah instinctively clutched her hand between her breasts, her forehead aching for how tightly it creased over the uncertain expression observing the situation. Anna remained on her swing, gently rocking back and forth in subtle ripples of motion propelled by her toes as Tomaya lingered. Then, suddenly, he spoke.

"Wanna push?"

Neirah's hand dropped, but she was thankful that was all when Anna eagerly nodded her head. She watched Tomaya let a modest smirk brighten his tired expression before he sauntered to the other side of the Strain and took hold of the chains just above her pale hands.

Anna's attention was immediately drawn to the scars deforming the right hand that Tomaya had used to stop Misaki's attack the night Neirah was held captive in the parking garage. He may not have been able to feel the pain of the attack, but the scars remained. She didn't say anything, though. Instead, Anna let him draw the chains back and release her to fall forward. Then, after her little legs kicked out and bent upon her return, he dusted his fingertips against the centre of her back to give her even more momentum.

"Tomo?" Neirah's gaze was filled with concern when she finally approached him behind the swing set, her thoughts jumbled to see him acting so casually with the child she knew he despised. "Is… everything alright?"

Tomaya watched Anna's legs flutter a couple of times beneath her skirt before he parted his dry lips to speak. "She's not a bad kid."

The furrow in Neirah's brow deepened, but she didn't pressure him. She understood very clearly that it was his way of dealing with the guilt of saying so many terrible things about HOMRA's princess.

"And Suoh," he continued lowly. "He's not half-bad, either."

Through a sudden rush of breath, her grateful heart was aflutter as she sighed her relief and warmed her expression with a smile. "Three-eighths, at best," she whispered.

He reached out and gave Anna another push when she lost momentum and then stepped back to conceal his damaged arms again. "Yeah," he muttered awkwardly. Soon, it seemed the pressure he had put on himself had gotten the better of him, and he was beginning to rush his words. "Look, Nei-chan, I said some things-"

"Yeah," she mocked spiritedly. "You were a real jerk."

Tomaya quickly turned to the sound of her choked tone as it attempted to force her laughter, and when he did, he lost the abrasion stiffening his frame.

"But, I forgive you." Neirah's smile broadened meekly, her cheeks rosy as she frantically wiped her tears away. "I'm so- so glad that you're okay." She tried not to look at the sadness on his face because it only made her want to cry harder. Instead, she covered her leaking eyes so that only her grateful beam remained visible. "After all that time, I didn't know how to help you. And it was all my fault, to begin with. Goya, your parents, all of it." She sniffed back her sentiment and gave a haggard cough, but her smile remained through it all. "I'm just… so glad."

Tomaya lowered his gaze, his guilt weighing his expression as it scoured the sand at their feet. "I'm… sorry." The words didn't feel natural rolling off his tongue, but he wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he never said them. "I guess… I ended up with dad's anger issues."

As pathetic as it sounded, Neirah burst out laughing, and this attracted the attention of the small Strain awaiting her next push. When she noticed Neirah's state, she quietly popped off her swing and snuck up behind Tomaya. Once she was at his side, she raised a red bead in front of her left eye to observe the situation.

Anna's stony effort made a wavy smile appear on Tomaya's once-hard expression. "Man, you're a creepy little kid, y' know that?"

Anna didn't seem fazed by his statement. Instead of responding, she moved into his personal space and dug her hand into his sweater pocket to retrieve his scarred fingertips. Luckily, Tomaya was just too exhausted to care, but it didn't stop him from flinching to consider the kind sentiment.

When Neirah raised her drying eyes to the sight of Anna holding her marble in one hand and Tomaya's hand in the other, her heart began to palpitate nervously. "A-ah, Anna-chan? What are you doing?"

Anna made her second-best attempt at a smile. "Tomaya is in the circle."

Neirah startled and immediately turned to face where Tomaya was lingering awkwardly with a couple of his fingers held hostage by the kind creature on his hip.

"Is that some kinda clan freak-speak that I don't get?" he coarsely rumbled.

Neirah took a deep breath, filling her chest as she smeared the rest of her tears away and stepped towards them. "Tomo, have you ever considered… joining a clan?"

Tomaya let a blunt snort escape to deride her sentiment. "Nah, I'm kinda an all or nothin' kind of guy."

As relieved as Neirah was that the old smart-alecky companion she missed was starting to resurface, she felt a sense of urgency as she continued. "I'm serious now," she assured him softly. "Tomo, the Blue Clan is going to be looking for you for your involvement in that incident with the mafia earlier this month. They already came after Yamata. But you have no one to protect you."

It had surprised Anna when Tomaya tightened his relaxed grip on her fingers, so she turned and looked up at him while he carried on the conversation.

"So what? It wasn't bad enough that he stomped my pride into the dirt, now Suoh's lookin' to throw handouts?"

Neirah swiftly shook her head. "N-no. That's not why I'm asking."

"I get it," he thundered. "I was a dick, okay?!" His tone had raised just beneath a full shout as his impatience grew. "But I'm still more powerful than any of you. I can look after my self."

Neirah whimpered submissively to the sudden harshness of his tone. No matter how badly she wanted to explain herself adequately, she couldn't, leaving her feeling trapped within her own heart. She felt encouraged to gather Anna and walk away now that they had made amends, but that would be the same as abandoning him in his time of need. With the Blue Clan active again, powerful Strains were monitored, and if they became disorderly, detained. Tomaya was both.

She sealed her eyes tight and shook her head. She refused to lose him again after so long. He deserved a second chance, the second chance that her king couldn't give Eiko. So, she wracked her brain, asking herself repeatedly; what would Tat-chan do? He wouldn't give up. As she raised her head with a determined intensity in her expression, she knew that much. "Tomo, I-"

"Well now, isn't this a surprise?"

Neirah's heart stilled to the sound of rushing footsteps coming to a halt, and when she turned over her shoulder, she met with the sight of a royal blue sea rising over the inland beach.

The one who spoke stood at the lead, his smile calm and amethyst eyes calculating beneath his glasses as he encouraged them up over the bridge of his nose. "We've had an awful time trying to locate you, Tetsuko Tomaya-san. I do believe we have the speed aspect of your unique abilities to thank for that."

Outside of his comprehension, Tomaya took a step back, his fingers shaking off Anna's touch only so he could cement it by covering her tiny hand with his. Whatever was standing in front of them had the delicate Strain quivering. As someone who also carried scars from the Nanakamado Chemotherapy Research Centre, he could sympathize with her apprehension. "Oh yeah? And who the fuck are you?"

The dark-haired man addressing them chuckled lowly, closing his eyes to consider the harsh words of his adversary. "My, is it really appropriate to speak so foully in front of such a young child? You will be a horrible influence on her upbringing."

Tomaya shoved Anna behind his back and took a step forward with his teeth bared. "Cut the shit, asshole, and answer the fucking question!"

Neirah's gaze darted between the members lined up orderly at the man's back, and when her eyes locked with the bright blue crystals of what appeared to be his second-in-command, her heart stopped. Her face immediately contorted in response to the dull and vacant expression meeting hers on the front of the militant machine ready to serve. "It's you…"

Neirah quickly turned to face Tomaya, a warning on her lips that never completed. "Tetsuko, that's-!"

"And Tsukiyo Neirah," the man continued regally. "How strange to see HOMRA's Red Lioness working with the same man who stood against her king not a month ago."

Neirah snapped her teeth together and reeled to face the arrogant man with her fingers dusting the chain at her hips. "Tomo," she commanded urgently. "Can I trust you to take Anna back to Kusanagi-san?"

"The hell?! And leave you here with these clowns?!" he denied. "It looks like they're here to throw down. I'm not goin' anywhere!"

Neirah bent at the hips, sinking her rear heel into the sand to brace her stance as her body began to burn with the slow lick of crimson flame. "Listen carefully," she cautioned. "I'm not doing this because I pity you. In my eyes, what you did today took more courage than I've ever seen from a man, and I truly admire that." Her burning gaze tapered on the mock-friendly smile displayed by her target. "But now that I've got you back, the last thing I want is to see you taken back into SCEPTRE4's care," she sneered protectively. "That man… That man is the new Blue King, Munakata Reisi."

Reisi seemed delighted by the introduction she'd provided. "As expected of HOMRA's hunter," he purred fondly. "But alas, my battle this day is not with Suoh's clansmen. It is with that Strain at your back." He raised his tone with authority and straightened to deliver his requisition. "Tetsuko Tomaya, I am here to take you into custody under Protocol 120 for questioning on your involvement in the Nanakamado Research Investigation, as well as for events to transpire last month with a drug trafficking incident involving a local gang of mafia members."

Tomaya snorted brusquely. "Speaking of shitty upbringing, you lost me at 'hunter'. See, if you talk too long, I lose interest." He stepped ahead and took Neirah's side with his scowl reaching into a sinister smile to oppose her malcontent. "And then I get angry."

"Men! Draw your swords!" Seri didn't bother connecting her gaze with the fierce burn raging in Neirah's cerulean eyes, even as she felt it pierce her. Instead, when the line at her back had drawn arms, she followed suit, closing her eyes entirely to remind the ruffian in front of her that she had the authority to pick a fight. "Awashima, ready on your command, Captain, sir."

Upon sinking his head with a disapproving click of his tongue, Reisi spoke in a low drone. "I'm disappointed in you, Tsukiyo-san. It would seem your upbringing was insufficient as well for you to have turned out so abrasive."

"I give respect where it's due," she barked back confidently. "As should you, Blue King."

"How dare you speak to our king that way!" Seri retaliated. "Are you insinuating that the captain should somehow consider Suoh Mikoto his superior?!"

"That's quite enough, Awashima-san," Reisi serenely interjected. "It is unbecoming of a lady to display such a passionate vigour."

"I apologize, Captain."

Neirah's scowl tilted until it was matching Tomaya's with a wicked simper. "What a good puppet," she mocked friskily. "Look at how obedient you are."

Seri's grip on her blade tightened, but she didn't retaliate. Instead, the tone of her voice escalated when she reached out for her king's orders. "Orders, sir?!"

With an amused chortle, Reisi raised his hand to his sword, and with the delicate singing of its confine, he withdrew it from his holster. "Munakata, ready." Typically, he wouldn't draw his sword unnecessarily against a pair of red clansmen, a woman and a child, but the man between them had the capability of becoming a terror. He made sure to proceed with the appropriate caution in case Tomaya had decided to meet their demands with the anticipated resistance.

"So, shit's about to go down, huh?" Tomaya muttered beneath his breath. "What about the kid?"

"I already told you, you shouldn't fight them," Neirah reiterated sternly. "Mikoto-sama can protect my outburst under his jurisdiction. I don't have time to explain the politics to you, but you need to know that if they take you in, it's not going to be like the centre. Maybe that's a good thing. I wouldn't know." She turned to face him sombrely. "But what I do know is that I won't let them take my friend away from me again. Anna's right, you're a part of my circle too, and so long as Mikoto-sama approves, I will intervene."

"Is harbouring fugitives another skill that comes with the Third King's powers?" Reisi pestered impatiently. "I find it ironic that you stand next to two Strains who were once in the care of my predecessors."

To the threat she unintentionally received, putting Anna at risk, her fingers gripped her chain. "Tetsuko, I will ask you one more time to do me this small favour and take Anna home. Stay there until Mikoto-sama gets back and then tell him what happened. That is our starting point."

"Yeah right! I-" Before Tomaya could say anything else, Neirah was bolting towards the Blue King brazenly with her chain unfurling in a tornado of glittering links. As it rose, it took the park sand with it and caused their suited rivals to defend their eyes from the granules. It was true. She didn't ask him again. She just prayed when her distraction had faded, Tomaya would be gone.

Tomaya trembled with impatient rage to feel so insignificant, and it was hard for him to focus on anything other than those bitter feelings. That was when Anna's tiny hand found his and carefully guided him through the mist so that they could sneak away between some nearby buildings. "This way."

Reluctantly, Tomaya followed, gritting his teeth the entire time. Tatara was right. He didn't understand a lot about the world around him outside of the centre, but if he had to trust anyone, it was Neirah. Something about the sympathetic Strain leading him away comforted him too. They came from the same place, suffered the same scars, and had found the same lighted flame to guide them forward.

By the time the whirlwind had settled, and Neirah was flipping into action, she was relieved to discover that Tomaya had obliged her command to leave, but unfortunately, the Blue King was missing as well.

Neirah's eyes flashed passionate vehemence when her spiralling chain got snagged on Seri's sabre, the look of confident posture on the woman's face making her want to heave.

"We meet again, Red Lion," Seri hummed flatly. "To think that Kusanagi Izumo would be so disturbed as to try and pass you off as his little sister. You would bring nothing but dishonour to the name."

Once Seri had noticed the chain getting hot enough to cause the steel of her blade to warp, she gasped and quickly dropped her sword arm, letting the chain return to its master. "Such a barbaric weapon," she apprehensively derided. After locking her stance and honing her focus, she narrowed her mistrusting leer on her opponent. "It suits a rowdy little hoodlum such as yourself."

The dismissive scoff on the tip of Neirah's tongue was musical as she reapplied her smile. "Finally, a chance to turn the tables on Onii-san," she purred under her breath. She was careful to observe the way every movement made the busty blonde's breasts flop, the way her microskirt barely covered her shapely rear. She took it all in and promised herself she would never let him tell her to conceal her HOMRA brand again.

With a menacing snicker, Neirah began her stampede, her fingers raking over her collar to catch the silk of her shirt and pop two buttons free. She wanted Seri to be sure that the woman to oppose her was a red clansman. It was her silent warning to the radiant beauty that she had just become a lion's prey. She stormed back into battle, her chain flailing around her head with enough precision that the ends didn't tangle. "If there should be a sign on the door warding anything off, it's you!"

Sharply jabbing her elbow into the links of her blazing chain, Neirah pivoted and kicked out her first Kunai towards the woman's sword. Just before she heard the anticipated ringing of metal-on-metal, she was already walking over her head and dragging the stray dart through the air. Catching the tungsten on her shoulders upon its return, she wedged both knives in her hand to slow its momentum. Once the ends had met, she swung the bludgeoning force towards the blue lieutenant with both arms and stepped into the strength of her overflowing aura. The roaring flames caused Seri to raise her free arm and cover her eyes as sparks flew from their colliding alloys.

Nearby, one of the blue clansmen stepped forward to remind Seri that they still awaited further instruction. "Lieutenant Awashima-san!"

"Stay back!" Seri raised her voice and her palm to issue her command, leaping backward to a safe distance by her men as the fire raged before her. "I will keep the Red Lion at bay. Go assist our captain in capturing that Strain! I will join you once I've succeeded in neutralizing the threat before me."

When Seri turned to face the piqued young woman opposing her, her heart stopped beating for one split second. Beneath the thick auburn bangs distorting the sight of her denied gaze, the fires scorched just as violently as the ones spilling from her slender frame. She stood calmly, her chain limp between her hands as she stared at the disturbed sand between them, and when she spoke, vehement malice spilled from her luscious lips. "If you're fighting to win, you've already lost."

For a split moment, Seri doubted her position in the battle, causing her hand to quiver just once before she straightened her sabre. "If you're going to carry on about the power of alliance, spare me!" she barked intolerantly. "If Tetsuko Tomaya does return, it will be in chains by the command of the Fourth King Munakata Reisi!"

Chains.

Neirah could feel her temperature rise as she wrung the blood from her knuckles to choke the tungsten she clasped. She didn't intend to lecture the woman because, as far as she was concerned, Seri was a lost cause. But Neirah's confidence in victory didn't mean she couldn't fall in battle. Her success meant giving her friend enough time to avoid capture, expanding on the second chance he'd received from her king. If she won the opportunity to make just one last memory with the man she'd forsaken to a life of misery, she would have considered that victory enough.

"You hesitated…" Neirah's tone had caused an uneasy shudder to steal the confident blonde maiden when she staggered back a step, avoiding the swell of flames. Her body was still relaxed, even as her clenched fists began to tremble, her head hung as her wild gaze watched the way the sediment beneath her reflected the light of her brilliance. Her dull murmur only thickened with callous strain as she continued, her voice escalating impatiently. "Do you know what hesitation leads to? It leads to doubt. Doubt leads to fear, and fear leads to weakness."

Neirah's eyes flashed as she raised her gaze to connect it with her opponent for a moment before her chain was coming to life around her burning body. "In my line of work, that split second of weakness can mean the difference between life or death, so if you don't have the heart to challenge fate, then stay out of my way!"

Seri didn't back down from the challenge despite her surprise for the passion guiding the ruthless hand of her opponent. She deflected each blow from the whirling knives with extreme precision, stepping skillfully to the beat the musical notes played on her steel. Her second hand remained alert, ready to counter if the advance of her enemy forced her to improvise. She had expected underhand aggression, so when Neirah suddenly skipped the flaming chain and dropped its overhand swing behind Seri's shoulders, the blue clansmen propelled her lightweight figure backwards over its threat to nullify the tripping hazard.

When Seri landed stably with her sword still in hand, her full bust bouncing, she met with the sight of her enemy reaching behind her thick curtain of hair. Unfortunately for the Red Lioness, Seri had realized the last time they were in each other's company that there was more to her than met the eye. She wasn't startled when Neirah raked her spread fingers through the air, releasing one of her golden kunai with extreme precision and lethal velocity. With uncanny reflexes and a burst of cerulean interference, the knife clattered off the steel of her sabre to bury itself into the dirt by her feet.

Neirah couldn't help but smile and sway with her weapon as she twirled it absently in one hand. "Impressive," she purred devilishly. "I'm used to battling empty-headed goons, so this is a nice change of pace." In an instant, Neirah halted her chain by jarring it with her opposing forearm to silence its rattle.

Seri took her ready, her sword straitening overhead to hone in on her target against the length of her second arm. "Pride and purpose are not so different, but there is a fine line. Be careful, lion, or you might lose my interest."

With a dim snigger, Neirah jolted towards her opponent's challenge. "Are you insinuating that I can't have both?" As Neirah wrapped the chain around her body, the movements of the darts became faster and faster, making them more difficult for Seri to deflect with a single blade. Then, when the progressing chain whip had no more room to shrink, Neirah let out the links with a staggering war cry.

Executing a perfectly timed retreat saw Seri bent backwards over broad hips as the two darts shot past her nose at alarming speeds, and because Neirah had been travelling too quickly to return them, it forced the red clansmen to dive over the athletic body of her blue rival. With a bitter growl, Neirah was tumbling through the sand to slow herself down, and a moment before her palm had reclaimed the misdirected attack, Seri had caught the thick link at one end of her weapon by the tip of her sword and tossed it away like a venom-less snake.

The moment Neirah felt the cold tip of steel against her pulse, her heart rate began to hasten, and her searing grimace cut towards the confidence on her opponent's face.

"An opponent with purpose would yield," Seri instructed frigidly. "Unless pride is what truly drives you, in which case, your friend must mean little to you." Seri didn't hesitate the second time as Neirah bared her teeth and seethed impatience. "If you surrender now, there is a chance that the captain will be lenient with your companion after questioning." She tightened the pressure on her blade. "But if you are truly a demon of pride, then I will expect nothing less than your complete refusal, in which case, I should like to think you'll never lay eyes on Tetsuko Tomaya again."

Trust was a broken and manipulative card to be played in a cold and unforgiving world, and with Neirah's experiences, she'd desensitized herself to it. Without an ounce of hesitation, she jolted to her feet, barely grazing Seri's retreating chin with her upturned palm. Carrying her momentum with Seri's strategic retreat, Neirah toppled through the dust and reclaimed her loose kunai. After the swordmaster had retreated to a safe distance, Seri turned her crystal eyes on the sight of humour draining from her opponent's pretty heart-shaped face.

"I'm here because I choose to be." Neirah braced her martial stance and wove her knife skillfully through her raised fingers in preparation to take her weapon back from behind Seri's guard. "Ever since I can remember, I've plagued those closest to me with nothing short of disaster, but these people meet every challenge they face with fearless confidence and valour. So yes, I'm proud to face it alongside them." Without raising her tone, a sentiment past repeated in her head as she charged forward, flames rushing from her body to brighten the sky witnessing their battle.

To the hesitant thrust powering a brilliant blue light towards her, Neirah walked over her hands, weaving her lithe figure around the swell of enemy aura as she picked up speed. "I don't know where I'm headed just yet, but until I get there, I will burn every obstacle that stands in our way with the passion I feel inside." When she dropped down to crack Seri's ankles with a flaming kick, the militant woman bounded sideways to defend. Just as she landed nearby, Neirah was already upon her a second time by the burst of crimson flame on her heels.

Neirah would never forget the look in Seri's eyes when the brunette's dark hair framed the unforgettable expression on her face as she vaulted over blue shoulders. For the first moment, since she had met the woman, she looked human. Then, with incomprehensible speed, Neirah had landed, drawn her leg tight to her core and unleashed a powerful kick into Seri's lower back. With a pained cry, she beat the blonde forward, her stance still stable as she watched Seri gather her sword and crawl to her knees.

"As for my purpose, that one shouldn't be too different from yours." Neirah's flat palms remained raised, her one knee elevated and locked in place, containing the kinetic buildup causing her focus to sharpen. "My purpose is my king's. Mikoto-sama believed that Tetsuko deserved a second chance, and I refuse to betray that hope by surrendering."

Hope that one day, the power to do what you think is right won't come with chains.

Seri staggered under the pressure of the woman's words, her heart in her throat as her anger began to make her body tighten. "Are you saying that my purpose is somehow inferior to yours? Like my king?!"

Neirah lowered her pointed toe in front of her like she was preparing to pirouette rather than pummel surrender out of her enemy. "I'm saying that without pride, your purpose doesn't matter."

Calming her nerves as she climbed to her feet, Seri closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. When she straightened, she tipped one set of fingers to her waistline to adjust her jacket with a stern tug. When her icy gaze snapped open to focus on her target, sunlight ignited their frosted stare before the rising of her sword cast a shadow on one side of her face. As she clutched her sabre confidently at her centre, a serene cerulean glow surged like a cool blue flame around her. "I will tolerate no more of your disrespecting my purpose," she ordered in a sultry tone. "We at SCEPTRE4 advance with sword in hand to protect. With pure intentions, we will triumph justly."

A military force speaking of things like purity coiled a nasty knot on Neirah's face, but with a low, eager moan, her grin broadened, and daylight danced off the golden blur she wove between lean fingers. "Promises, puppet," she droned callously. In a sudden burst of volatile flame, her body combusted, the pressure of her kindling aura causing her wavy locks to twist like her smile. "Suppress me then. Let's see how your purity fares against my passion."

"Have at you!"

"Bring it on!"