Kimono

It wasn't common for a member of HOMRA to be sitting quietly at a booth in Izumo's bar and minding their own business, especially when there was a commotion across the room worthy of Izumo raising his voice. That was probably why when Neirah had discreetly slid into the seat beside Masaomi, he attempted to ignore her presence entirely. It wasn't necessarily that he thought she was a bad omen, but he couldn't help feeling that as soon as he acknowledged her, the turmoil would find its way to his side of the bar. Somehow, Neirah always wound up being the centre of the chaos.

After receiving a playful nudge against his shoulder, Masaomi ground his teeth with a nervous hiss and diverted his gaze, hoping that if he ignored her, she would go away. She didn't, but she also didn't pressure a response. Unfortunately, his guilt got the better of him, so with a small voice, he spoke in the opposite direction of her visitation. "Not now, Nē-chan."

Neirah's gaze slipped over the busy floor to where Misaki was hanging off Rikio and focused entirely on destroying their everlasting friendship with violent insults. "You should know better," she responded just as quietly. "Ignoring them will only make it worse."

Masaomi groaned docilely to consider the unfortunate truth in her words. "Instigating doesn't make it any better."

"I can tell that you're avoiding getting involved."

An impatiently dull growl later, he turned to peek at the disorder across the room, but it was also apparent that Neirah was attempting to be equally as inconspicuous. "If it's that obvious, then I guess I'm not doing a very good job."

A slighted grin softened Neirah's expression as she returned her attention towards her seatmate. She tilted her bright eyes towards his indecision and, instead, offered him a kind alternative. "That's why I've come to you with an escape plan."

Screwing up his face beneath his hat, Masaomi met her sincerity. Considering how gloomy she'd been since Mikoto had forced her to confront her terminal father a month prior, he could appreciate the smile she feigned. However, that didn't make him any less suspicious of her intentions. "For both of us?"

"If you're feeling up to it." She turned to peek the uproar that continued to escalate until Izumo was separating Misaki from Rikio, or maybe prying was a more accurate depiction, and half of her wondered if he wasn't going to toss them out entirely. The bar was always lively on a Friday afternoon. It was one of the few times that everyone seemed to come together all at once. As happy as that made her on most days, things tended to get a little out of control when that happened. "Now's our chance," she whispered in a sneaky tenor. "Is it a date?"

Masaomi peered at the dynamics of their clansmen tussling, losing sight of his typical mate in the mayhem. He didn't have any alternate arrangements pending, but he also didn't think it was right to leave without telling anyone where they would be. Once he diverted his eyes, he pulled out his PDA and began to script a message to Yō. "You still haven't told me where it is that we're going," he instigated. "Can I at least get that much before I decide to go along with it?"

If she had been in a better mood, she might have taken the opportunity to further harass her friend for questioning her honesty. "Have I ever led you astray before?"

Masaomi didn't return his gaze to hers from letting it linger on his pending transmission. "You can be devious when you want to be."

"Fair." Neirah turned her fond expression back towards her colleague without an ounce of hesitation in her divulgence. "I'd like to go shopping."

Once he'd sent his message to the clamouring Yō, Masaomi startled, his perplexed gaze flashing intrigue when he lowered his dark eyes to meet Neirah's. She didn't seem to acknowledge that the suggestion appeared estranged coming from someone like her, but he couldn't help doing a doubletake. "Shopping?"

Taking notice that Neirah and Masaomi began prowling around the border of the active establishment, Izumo tapered his distracted gaze incredulously. "And just where is it you two are sneaking off to?"

The pair froze like they thought the settling uproar wouldn't notice their schemes if they remained still. When the silence replaced the cover that Neirah anticipated to distract their company from their disappearance, she sighed her surrender and admitted to her actual purpose. "Dewa-kun and I are heading out for the afternoon if that's alright."

Izumo cocked a brow inquisitively. "Well, sure, I guess. But what for?"

A defiant Neirah's face knotted with embarrassment as she jerked her attention towards the door. "So nosy."

Yō snapped to attention with a look of betrayal on his face as he suspiciously eyed the pair. "And since when do you and Dewa sneak out without telling me?"

Thinly veiling his bitter snarl, Masaomi partially rolled his eyes to dismiss his friend's accusation. "Check your phone."

Doing as commanded beneath the scrutiny of their friends, and after a brief moment of silence, Yō's response was uttering dryly. "Huh..."

"Yeah."

Upon closing her eyes, Neirah dropped her head and heaved a troubled sigh. "There goes our tactical retreat. Sorry, Dewa-kun."

"And what makes you think you need to be sneaky about it?" Izumo pestered. "Kind of suspicious, if you ask me."

"Onii-san, I'm not in the mood for your outlandish theories," she nearly growled.

"I don't care if you are or not," he reasoned. "Now, I'm curious."

From where he lingered nearby the heart of the settling uproar, Tatara laid his chin in his hand and pondered the situation carefully. "I don't know if I ever considered Dewa-kun-" He yelped when Izumo dropped his fist down on the centre of the man's crown without shifting his attention from Neirah. "Ow, Kusanagi-san, that hurt!"

"Speaking of outlandish theories."

With a defeated moan, Neirah pulled out a chair near to the table she'd been passing and dropped into it, folding one leg over the other. "Seeing as I can't do anything without absolutely everyone knowing, I'm taking Dewa-kun shopping."

As Tatara startled to attention from where he clutched his aching head, the enquiry in Izumo's face didn't fade to her dissatisfying rebuttal. "Shopping? Why?"

Her brow twitched with irritation. "Because I need new clothes."

Izumo didn't seem convinced. "What's wrong with your clothes now? I mean, other than their provocative nature."

Neirah unwound her folded leg, slamming both boot heels onto the floor with an impatient thunder. "I don't want to hear that from somebody hung up over a woman who seems to have it out for pants!"

"Keep your voice down in the bar, young lady." Izumo's command was casual, and didn't display near the guilt she hoped she could use to shame him in front of their peers. "I know you're goin' through a rough time, but don't even think about takin' it out on the rest of us."

"Maybe Dewa-kun and I will pick out a nice microskirt and see how you like that!"

Yō slunk up beside his exhausted companion just as Masaomi's posture slackened with defeat. He waited until Masaomi decided to connect their gazes, and when he did, Yō crammed as much venom into his tone as he could muster. "Traitor."

Misaki watched the banter continue between his seniors with a deep furrow in his brow. "Wow. You know Tsukiyo must be pretty upset when she wants to do something girly like clothes shopping."

"From what I hear, you like it when she does girly things," Saruhiko mocked from nearby. "Maybe you should go with her instead."

"Cut it out, Monkey!" Misaki barked back irately with a livid flush in his cheeks. "I'm not gonna sit here and take that from you!"

Tatara's expression was sheepish as he raised his hand and kneaded the air like he was spiritually trying to turn the volume down amongst them. "Okay, everyone. Let's all calm down."

"Yeah… that's not going to help," Mikoto rumbled evenly from his perch.

"King, you're not exactly helping either…"

"Alright," Izumo curtly drawled. "Let's pretend for a minute that you are taking Dewa clothes shopping. Why?"

"I already told you-"

"There's nothing wrong with your clothes," he challenged. "Besides, I see you wearing more of Kamamoto's wardrobe than your own these days. And I know for a fact that you don't even wear half of what you have."

A guilty look immediately twisted Tatara's expression nearby. "I promise that has nothing to do with me."

"Blabbermouth," Neirah hissed.

A low, rumbling laugh cut over their banter from where Rikio had settled next to Misaki, and it was clear that he didn't seem interested in fessing up to his guilt in the matter. "I think that's the closest I've ever heard Neirah come to cursing. Well, except for that one time, she called me a baka, but it was super cute, so it doesn't count."

Misaki growled and beat his friend over the head with an impatient snort. "That's because you are one, moron. And don't think this's over!"

"Ow! Yata-san, take it easy, will ya?"

"Okay." Neirah's impatient sneer cut over the ruckus as she pushed out her chair and climbed to her feet. She wanted to be angrier with them during her address, but she lost her composure halfway through her explanation. "It's because I want to have some nice clothes for when I… when I go to Nagasaki to visit my father."

Neirah hated how the room had humbled around her, the once piqued expressions of her friends growing sombre with concern. They always did that when she was facing some form of turmoil, and it disgusted her. It had to stop. As such, she immediately lowered her eyes and watched their shadows shift against the floor. "It's been… ten years since I've seen him. And if this is the last time that he lays eyes on me, I want him to be proud of his daughter."

Sounding a humiliated snort, she reached towards her thigh and teased the tassels fringing the slits in her denim that she'd picked up from various battles past. "It wouldn't hurt for me to pack a sundress or…" She raised her fingers and took hold of her coat collar, gently folding it over her HOMRA brand. "A high-neck sweater."

"Hey," Misaki instigated tenderly. "You're not sayin' that you're embarrassed about HOMRA, are ya, Tsukiyo?" Surely, he had heard things. Not HOMRA's hunter. There was no way that she could ever feel anything but pride in her association with them. He wouldn't believe anything less.

Neirah sealed her eyes too tightly, the pressure causing her face to twinge. "Of course not! But if I don't have enough time to explain-"

"No." Izumo's interruption silenced them both, but his careful smile reassured them before he continued. "I think that's a great idea. If this is the last time Tsukiyo Hisashi is going to see his daughter, I think it's appropriate to want to show him the beautiful and mature woman she's become to put his mind at ease."

Even as Misaki watched Neirah's expression warm with a gentle smile, his demeanour still dropped with disdain. With a bitter snort, he diverted his gaze like he'd taken insult to Izumo's suggestion, and his words muttered grimly under his breath. "I think she's fine the way she is."

It was the reason that Neirah originally wanted to take Masaomi with her. He was mature enough to give her his honest and unbiased opinion on the outfits she would undoubtedly sample before purchasing, and his mild personality wouldn't pry too deeply into the situation that was causing her pain. She expected the two could have a relatively peaceful afternoon, but all that changed when their duet became a crowded sextet.

As such, the six red clansmen made their way to Neirah's choice destination, which also happened to be one of the largest malls in Shizume City just across from the station. Ten floors focused on shopping stretched high into the late afternoon sky and promised that the young woman, surrounded by her loyal escorts, would find something appropriate to take with her to Nagasaki.

From where she watched a shifting digital ring flash with adverts around the top floor of the building, Neirah's eyes dropped beneath amber shades. Her hands were resting just below her bust in her cropped-jacket pockets, and she had to remind herself that even if she was wearing sunglasses, they did nothing to conceal her impatient scowl. It was an expression that seemed to display naturally over the past year, causing nosy murmurs to spread doubtful whispers to their company as they hurried past the unspoken threat.

Neirah was a terror in Shizume City that caused people like Himari to lock their doors at night, and HOMRA's fierce hunter. But to a father who hadn't seen her since her youth, she was still his little girl. It wasn't that she tried to be abrasive by trait, but it was hard to welcome people into her life when she knew that anyone outside of her red family would fade back out with another piece of her heart.

She looked over her right shoulder, watching Misaki and Saruhiko scan the crowds around them. Saruhiko seemed unimpressed, and Misaki looked utterly mortified to observe so many giggling young ladies clamouring over their racy purchases. To her right, Masaomi was capturing the cigarette from Yō's teeth before his friend could light it, shaking his head with a disbelieving frown. Then, from behind her, Neirah felt Rikio's palm drop onto her shoulder, causing her to tilt her head straight back and connect their gazes.

His crooked smile managed to encourage a warm grin to soften her hard expression before she straightened and approached the building. Maybe they wouldn't all be as discreet as Masaomi would have been, but she couldn't deny that the familiarity was welcome. Even if all she wanted to do was mope, she could appreciate that their support wanted something more for her.

Once they stepped inside the facility, Misaki's eyes lit up with boyish excitement. "Oi, Saruhiko! Let's hit the game centre!" He grabbed Saruhiko's attention and pointed towards one side of the bustling mall with a bright smile. "I hear the one in this place is huge!"

Saruhiko seemed indifferent.

"I bet they have an awesome food court, too!" Rikio eagerly theorized. "If any of you need me, you know where I'll be!"

"Right," Masaomi casually agreed. "So, Nē-chan, did you have any place in particular on your mind to visit?"

"What is wrong with you guys?!"

Misaki and Saruhiko stopped in their tracks before turning to face where Yō had interrupted their retreat. Hehn? Misaki looked towards a staggered Rikio and then back to where the rest of their party scanned Yō expectantly. "What d' ya mean?"

Yō seemed frustrated to have to spell out his concerns so bluntly. "We came here for Ne-chan. She asked us for our help. Remember? Are you really just gonna walk away from a lady in need?" His tone escalated with impatient frenzy. "Am I the only gentleman left in this world?!"

It was evident by the void expression on Masaomi's face that he was resisting the need to stomp his pal down a couple of notches. "I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that."

"Actually, I asked Dewa-kun for help," Neirah calmly reminded him. "The rest of you just showed up, so whatever you want to do with your time is fine by me."

"Yeah!" Misaki defended. "Besides, I don't wanna get dragged around to a buncha chick stores! They're probably gonna be full of chicks!"

"Imagine that," Saruhiko ridiculed dryly. "It's almost like that was the intent."

"You shut your mouth!"

With a faint groan, Rikio laid his palm on his belly to give it an apologetic rub. "Awh, I guess you're right," he reluctantly agreed. "Okay, I'll stay. But we're still gonna do lunch, right?"

Neirah offered him a knowing smile. "Of course," she reassured upon turning her index finger towards the ceiling. "They have a lounge on the top floor with a great view of the shopping district. We can stop there when we're done. How about that?"

A dull groan rattled from within Misaki's slouching frame as his bashful expression scoured the halls. "Do I have to?"

Tsk. Saruhiko stepped away from his bellyaching companion with a dull murmur. "That's what you get for being buddy-buddy with everyone you meet. If you didn't want to get stuck tagging along with Tsukiyo, then why did you even come?"

Misaki immediately leapt on the defensive with a wryly cocked brow. "Because I heard they had a wicked game centre here. I thought I just said that."

As he trailed after their hunter, Saruhiko waved dismissively in the direction Misaki wanted to run. "Then go. No body's forcing you to do anything."

Alarm welled within Misaki's chest to think that Saruhiko was deciding to stay near the group instead of joining him at the arcade, and he quickly chased after his defiant companion. "Wait a sec! Why are you following them, Saruhiko? That's the last thing I'd expect from you."

Saruhiko didn't drop his gaze from where it scanned the busy aisles around them. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about, Misaki," he casually declared through his disgruntled sigh. But that wasn't true. Before they'd left HOMRA, Izumo had pulled Saruhiko aside to assign him an important task, and although disinclined to accept, he couldn't help but feel that a part of Izumo's concern might be justified.

Neirah had become intolerably sporadic as the days ticked past. Between her nerves and the regret mingling with her frustrations, she was almost as irrational as Misaki was when it came to combat. Luckily, it seemed like she genuinely had intentions of shopping that day after all, which meant that she probably hadn't heard the reports about unwarranted Strain activity in the area. But Saruhiko was convinced that wherever Neirah was, disaster followed. They could argue over whether it was a gift or a curse all they wanted, but to him, fact was fact, even if he hated feeling like an extension of Izumo's leash on the woman. What a pain, he mused resentfully.

With a desperate whimper, Misaki lunged after their gathering to catch up, trailing behind them next to Saruhiko for comfort's sake. Bustling shopping complexes weren't exactly his idea of a good time, especially when they were shopping for a woman. All he could think about as Neirah and Yō conversed up ahead, much to Masaomi's dismay, was the threat of finding themselves in some boutique specializing in extravagant lingerie. He thought his face was going to melt, so he raised his fingers to the lip of his knit toque and dragged it down over his face. "I hope Tsukiyo gets better soon…"

Misaki's hope wasn't far from becoming tangible that afternoon, because even if they had to work a little harder to see it, she still smiled. When Masaomi leaned over her shoulder to adjust the baseball cap on her head to a pink cowboy hat, she replaced it with a black fedora before tipping it over one sparkling eye and grinning. When Rikio tried to divert their attention towards a brightly coloured candy shop, and Misaki beat him over the back of his head for being unhelpful, she giggled. When Misaki grabbed her by her wrist and jerked her into a grunge store trying to sell her on a pair of oversized skate shoes to replace her heeled boots, she laughed.

There was an irritated grimace on her face matching Masaomi's the moment that Yō suggested they stop into a venue to accessorize their hunter one layer closer to her skin, but as soon as Rikio dragged him away by his collar, she burst into hysterics. Maybe they had to work a little harder to see it, but they didn't mind. She didn't have to ask them for help for her spirits to lift just being near to her friends.

By the time the sun was beginning to set outside of the massive mall windows, Neirah couldn't take the soft grin from her face as she lapped at the ice cream Rikio convinced her she needed, despite Yō warning her it'd go straight to her hips. It was important to note the unconfrontational tone in his voice when he said that, though. It was less a warning and more of a promise.

When Neirah noticed that Rikio had finished his ahead of her, she turned her bright eyes towards his effort to carry her bags and offered him her dripping cone. After he gratefully tasted her robust green-tea flavoured dessert, she giggled and made her second attempt at finishing it off. Neirah ran through a mental checklist as she walked through the halls observing the stores they passed, making sure that she wasn't missing anything on her agenda.

She had ended up with a new coat, one that Izumo would be delighted to notice covered her midriff. In fact, it went all the way to her knees. Much to Misaki's dismay, she'd purchased a new pair of shoes too, but they had every bit of heel as her first. She stocked up on milk candies like they wouldn't exist once she left the city, and picked up some rice crackers and mochi snacks for the plane ride. Not to mention, she grabbed some strawberry cookie sticks to share with Saburōta when they invited him back to watch movies with them. She bought the fedora but wasn't sure if she'd ever actually wear it again. She supposed that part of her wanted to see Tatara wear it, more than anything, but since he'd stayed back home, she had to improvise. She imagined he would look most handsome in it.

She'd picked up a cute knit sweater with a high neck that draped over her shoulders a bit, and a complimenting pair of leggings that Masaomi promised would look stunning with the boots she'd picked. He wasn't wrong. With her hair combed and scowl replaced, she expected she would manage to make herself up into a daughter that any father would be proud of meeting. That was when her expression began to fade again. It was amusing. When Neirah considered how acceptant she'd been of herself and the person she'd become, she wondered why she suddenly felt the need to hide it.

Luckily, she had finished her cone treat because soon, Neirah startled when her nose met with the shiny ebony bead at the tip of a little stuffed lion's face, and she couldn't contain her gasp. She stopped in her tracks and examined the tiny toy Yō had wiggled in her face before her hands were reaching out to hold its soft body between them. "Chitose, when did you get this?"

He snickered devilishly and folded his arms over his chest. "When you and Dewa were tryin' on hats." Snapping his arms back by his front, he approached the stuffed lion and removed the bangle he wore to oppose hers. His smile was broad as he slipped the band around the lion's neck like a collar, delighting in the perfect fit. "He can wear yours while you're in the shower, or whatever," he teased. "It's just like a collar, see?"

Misaki was exhausted from wandering around on his feet all afternoon, so at some point, he'd flopped his skateboard down onto the floor and started to roll about the multilevel complex. "You sayin' that stupid bracelet is like Tsukiyo's collar on you or somethin'?"

Yō retracted the plush towards his chest and glowered back at the youth bitterly. "Don't talk shit about the things you don't understand."

The irritable vanguard shrugged indifferently. "What? It's just a stupid bracelet. If you ask me, I think it's lame. Friendship bracelets are for ten-year-old girls."

"Hey! You can't ride that thing in here! Cut that out!"

With a grim snort, Misaki whirled to face the order coming from the security guard nearby. "Fine, jeez. Sorry," he grumbled. He kicked up the front of his board with an obtrusive clack and slipped it under his arm before mumbling his rebellious retort. "Jackass… S' not my fault that you dropped out of police school and became a stupid mall cop."

Turning back to face Yō, Neirah snagged the little lion back and removed his band before reapplying it where it belonged. With a soft flush in her cheeks, she met the creature's lifeless emerald gaze. "A lion, huh?"

He smirked. "A little one."

"Can we go now?" Misaki blared impatiently in a whiny tone. "My feet are killin' me, and I'm not even wearing stupid boots like Tsukiyo's."

Neirah smiled to herself and operated the lion's stuffed paws like they were arms. "I'd tell you to talk to Fushimi-san about that if I weren't so sure I would be putting his talents to good use when we make it back home."

Tsk.

"There he goes again complaining about walkin' around when he's the one who has the most energy out of all of us. Whose idea was it to bring the kids, anyway?" Yō chastised, clearly bitter for the interruption.

"Well," Masaomi instigated. "Fushimi came, and I guess Yata kind of followed suit."

Yō cocked a brow at the suggestion and grumbled his opinion. "That seems kind of backwards, doesn't it?"

Masaomi shrugged.

"For the record, I haven't complained yet," Saruhiko griped intolerantly. "And believe me. That took a lot on my part."

"I forgot you were here, honestly."

"Shut up."

"See? Even Saruhiko wants to leave," Misaki snorted. "Let's just grab takeout and go."

"But Yata-san," Rikio bleated. "Neirah's been tellin' me all the great things they've got upstairs. I was lookin' forward to it."

"Don't be an idiot. You know you'll eat anything that's dead," Misaki grumbled. "Let's blow this place already!"

"Quit acting like a little kid," Masaomi commanded. "Nē-chan didn't say she was done yet."

Rolling his eyes, Misaki threw his hands back by his nape to support his weary head. "It's not like she's goin' away forever. What else could she possibly need?"

Masaomi rolled his eyes and dismissed Misaki's eager prattling. "Hell if I know. It'd probably be easier to ask her, wouldn't it?" Shaking his head, he turned to face Neirah with an apologetic smile. "Well, Nē-chan? Are we missing anything?"

Neirah concluded her mental checklist with a soft sigh. "I didn't find a sundress to take with me yet, or maybe a nice yukata. I don't have any that fit me properly anymore."

"Really? What's the matter? Are they too short?"

Yō dipped behind Neirah to match Masaomi's curious gaze before holding his palms up to his chest like they were grasping an imaginary weight.

"O-oh…"

Saruhiko groaned, watching as Neirah and Masaomi continued walking, listening to Rikio trying to calm down an irritated Misaki. But his focus was inconsistent as he peeked over his shoulder like the chaos ensuing amongst themselves wasn't the ominous presence lurking in the contemporary halls. So far, the Strain activity that Izumo had cautioned him about hadn't managed to intrude on their afternoon, but he wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not.

The group settled back into a pleasant conversation when their voices in Neirah's ears began to fade. When she turned her head to face the showcase window in front of one of the stores they passed, her lips parted, and breathing hesitated. She kept walking, but she wasn't very focussed on the ground beneath her as the crimson silk of a beautiful ceremonial kimono flowed over a mannequin on display. It had an elegant floral print on it that incorporated pale blues, pinks and ivory into the fabric, and for whatever reason, it seemed to mesmerize her.

She felt terrible when she startled Yō by encouraging him to hold her new pet while she advanced without another word, causing the boys at her back to cast questioning glances. After approaching the window, she stood and marvelled at the beautiful piece. She knew the store in front of her also retailed an array of trendy yukata as well, but something about the work of art on the display model caused her cheeks to flood with a matching colour. It had kept her so captivated that she almost didn't notice Masaomi joining her.

"You know, when you said you wanted a nice sundress to wear out west, I didn't think you meant something like this."

Startling from her trance, Neirah dropped her gaze and immediately shook her head. "A-ah, no. I didn't," she clumsily reassured him. "I mean, that's the sort of kimono someone would get married in, not visit their sickly father. Besides, you know that Kusanagi-san isn't even going to let me date until I'm thirty."

A cheeky smile crept across Masaomi's features as he watched her fluster. "You want it pretty bad, huh?"

Neirah wriggled uncertainly, peeking to see if he'd looked away from her. When she realized that he hadn't, she dropped her eyes again. "Well… maybe it wouldn't hurt to see if they have a size small enough for someone like me."

He chuckled. "That's better."

When Neirah shuffled around the window, her gaze remained locked with the beautiful model. She considered the colours, the details, and then, she worried that it wouldn't look as lovely on her. She wondered where her confidence had gone, raising her hands to rub her arms with a gentle moan. Suddenly, she felt girly and unsure why that was an alarming notion. A part of her suspected that there was an air of vulnerability showing a delicate heart to prying eyes, and something about that was terrifying. She had to remember that she was the hunter. She was the beast. She was-

-startled into staring wild-eyed at the sight of a youthful sales clerk aiding a customer nearby, and her body seized. All traces of tenderness left her as her expression hardened with panic to the sight of Gin pulling a notepad out of his apron to take measurements from what looked to be a bride-to-be. Without a second thought about it, Neirah rushed away from the store, bolting back out the doors to where she was comfortable with her strengths.

Masaomi cast her an enquiring gaze upon her arrival as she murmured something about them not having her size, but before he could question her any further, she closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I'll be right back," she rushed.

Rikio's brow furrowed over his concerned expression as they watched her nervously hasten away. "Whoa, what happened?"

Masaomi shrugged. "No idea. That was weird even for her."

When Rikio turned to face the store where a delighted young woman was exiting next to what appeared to be her best friend, his teeth were grinding over his bitter growl. "You gotta be kidding me!"

At the moment Gin's smiling expression raised towards the doorway to wave after his clientele, he froze upon connecting gazes with Rikio, his waving arm stiffening in place. After a moment of comprehending the terror welling within him, Rikio stepped towards the store and caused Gin to drop his notebook before retreating. "No-! N-no no no no!"

He dove behind the service counter, laying his hands over his head in hopes that his co-workers didn't think he was insane for fleeing the sight of what they would presume was a customer. Unfortunately, they understood all too quickly when Rikio stormed into the store and reached over the counter to drag Gin over it by his collar.

"K-Kamamoto-san! A-ah, what a s-surprise!"

"Oi! Is that the little shit who fucked with Tsukiyo the other day?!"

Gin turned to face a pair of new faces preparing to tail Rikio into the store and the colour drained from his face. "T-that doesn't happen to be Chitose-san, does it?"

"I think it's time for you to take a lunch break, Okazaki," Rikio ordered firmly.

His command caused Gin to shudder. "B-but I just got here."

Nearby, a young woman shrieked and held her hand over her face. "O-Okazaki-kun, what's happening?!"

"It's okay! I'm fine! It's fine!"

Gin's likeness to Tatara at that moment caused Rikio's teeth to grind. "Like hell it is!" he growled. "You got fifteen seconds to beat it before I beat you."

"B-but I'm working," Gin ambled worrisomely. "And how am I supposed to run away when you're holding me up by my shirt?"

Outside the store, the commotion was starting to alert mall security and anyone else who was passing by the reputable establishment. None of this seemed to bother the men hanging around the premises, but two sets of ears were particularly interested in the uproar to cause innocent civilians to flee the scene.

Nearby, a set of bright emerald eyes shifted over the mall passage with far more life than those of Neirah's stuffed lion, and his ginger mane hung at shoulder-length. Although far be it from a lion, the man wasn't intimidated by the uproar in the slightest, and even took it upon himself to approach. "Hidaka, I think something's going down over there," he muttered towards his partner. "Do you think-"

The deep chocolate gaze of his cohort skimmed over the alarm in the crowd with great scrutiny before stepping towards his younger comrade's retreat. Without another word, the lively youth was bounding towards the clamour. "Dōmyōji?" It was clear that something was causing a disturbance around the corridor, so of course, as a recent recruit for the Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau, Civil Registry Department, Annex 4, Andy would be eager to rush towards any sign of trouble.

Upon departure, Andy turned his focussed leer back over his shoulder with a sense of urgency and righteousness. Even if they were technically off-duty, members of SCEPTRE4 were always ready to help where they could. That was how Andy felt as he charged the scene with an effort that some would describe as reckless. "I think somebody's robbing that store!" he theorized. "It might be that Strain we were looking for!"

"Alright, Okazaki!" Rikio wound up his balled fist in preparation to strike the whimpering man in his grasp. Usually, he wouldn't be so quick to temper, but, in his opinion, Gin had it coming for a long time. "You asked for it!"

"Halt!"

Huh? Rikio turned over his shoulder with a wry expression just as Gin peeked between his fingers to catch a glimpse at his guardian angels. When Rikio focussed on the pair of meddling civilians, his intensity only increased. "Who the hell are you?"

"This is none of your damn business, kid, so beat it," Masaomi snapped edgily towards the fiery youth. Even when a breathless brunette had joined Andy's side, HOMRA remained unconcerned with the disturbance.

"Yeah, and who even says something like that anymore?" Misaki mocked. He tipped his derisive smile around him to flash it to his friends, who all joined him in scorning the ambitious hero interrupting them. "Talk about lame." The fact that Misaki and Andy looked to be around the same age didn't help matters.

Akira watched Andy begin to shake with humiliated fury, his smile exhausted as he straightened next to his accomplice. "I don't think anyone's going to take you seriously dressed like that."

Andy turned to the side with a look of pouty rejection on his face, tempted to conceal it behind his baggy scarf. "But I practiced it so it'd sound wicked cool when I had to use it…"

After patting his downtrodden companion on the head, Akira turned his attention back towards their targets. "I recognize these guys," he murmured carefully. He lowered his hand against Andy's shoulder to warn him to exercise caution in approaching the situation. "I don't think they have anything to do with the Strain we were looking for. They're with HOMRA."

Andy seemed startled, and possibly a little hesitant after his comrade had divulged. He hadn't been with SCEPTRE4 long, but he knew everything there was to know about their current rivalry with the unruly Red Clan.

"Wait, just who are you, anyway?" Misaki growled. "Talkin' about Strains and how you know we're from HOMRA. Don't tell me…"

"You heard him," Masaomi shouted. "Who the hell do you think you are gettin' caught up in somethin' that doesn't concern you? If you knew who we were all along, you must have some kinda death wish."

Tsk. Saruhiko threw his head over his shoulder with an impatient growl. "Here we go…"

Neirah was leaning her weight against a partition near the elevator, her heart in her throat as she considered the feeling to overcome her. She hadn't expected Gin to be the one interrupting her somewhat pleasant afternoon. She hadn't talked to him since their falling out, and once she'd ignored his first few apologetic messages, he'd stopped sending them. She had been aware that he had a part-time job to attend after school, but she never cared to ask where it was for fear of involving herself too much in his life.

Realizing that she was in an inconvenient space, startling many other people into apologizing when they rounded the corner, she shifted and began to return. As she passed the stores lining the halls, the occasional glass wall reflected her figure in the corner of her eye, calling to her for consideration. The truth was, in the fate she sought to make her own, she wouldn't always have to be so insensitive, tender-footing around her situation. Maybe it was something to do with her age or maturity, but one day, when people looked at her, she wanted them to admire her, not fear her. She supposed it was probably every little girl's dream to be desired, but it was something she wasn't going to find if she couldn't unknot her face.

The thing that frightened Neirah most about these newly discovered feelings was that there might be a chance that opening up her wary heart for Gin's world might weaken her, to some degree. If that was the case, would she be able to remain the hunter that her clan had come to cherish? Would HOMRA still be her place to belong? The uncertainty weighing her heart caused her expression to turn sour again when she considered the thought that Gin might have been right. If she was encouraged to turn away from her life with her clan, would they still have time for her? Could they be friends even without sharing the purpose of their king?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the alarmed screams of a pair of ladies, and before she could question the disturbance, she watched the familiar faces race by her. A dull moan immediately caught in her throat as her expression darkened to the sight of Gin's customer's fleeing the corridor, and something told her that by the time she returned for her dress, not even its ashes would remain.

Back at the boutique, Akira was the one to take a dominant step towards HOMRA's agitated gathering at the mouth of the store, hoping to draw their attention away from his young accomplice. "Hidaka Akira and Dōmyōji Andy of SCEPTRE4!" he announced proudly. "By the authority given to us by Fourth King Munakata Reisi, we command you to unhand that civilian!"

Andy looked back at his friend with glowing eyes, narrowly stifling the excited squeal he attempted to lock behind his teeth. "So… cool!"

The red clansmen gathered around seemed to still for a moment to process the command, and soon, Rikio was releasing Gin, but only so he could grip his aching sides while he strained with laughter. "Oh man, are these guys for real!?"

"Halt! Drop that nerd!" Misaki taunted spiritedly. "Look! He's super serious about it too!"

To the sounds of HOMRA's ridicule, Akira groaned, dropping his arm until it slapped the denim of his jeans in defeat. "These people…" he seethed through clenched teeth.

Most of the innocent bystanders had managed to evacuate, but even after his release, Gin remained, staring in disbelief at the confrontation about to unfold. After he left Izumo's company last, Gin had dug deeper into the world focussed on rejecting him, discovering more than Izumo had divulged about the rumoured Blue Clan and their recent resurrection. When the two men in the doorway spoke with authoritative superiority, and he knew that he was looking at two blue clansmen. Their announcement only confirmed what he had sensed in his heart to be accurate, and a part of him wondered why it had been so obvious.

And it was true. Red and blue did not get along, by any means.

Masaomi couldn't help but snigger along with the rest of his allies as he addressed the bold command. "That's pretty big talk for a pair of blues picking a fight, even though they're outnumbered."

"We're not picking a fight," Akira added brusquely. "We're upholding order under Protocol 120, which you are currently in direct violation of."

Andy was eager to get involved when he rushed to Akira's side and attempted to fill his voice with the same level of authority. "So, in other words, you red better stand down and unhand that innocent, or else!"

With a dull groan, Akira bopped his eager partner on the head. "Idiot! Don't threaten them!"

Misaki chuckled devilishly and dropped his skateboard back onto the tiles at their feet. "Finally, some real action," he hissed excitedly. "I was startin' to regret comin' up until now."

"Although it isn't what Kusanagi-san expected, it looks like it's still a good thing I tagged along." Saruhiko took a step beside Misaki and glowered down his nose at their rivals. "We're lucky Tsukiyo ran off somewhere. Otherwise, this would be a real pain."

"The Red Clan's Yatagarasu and Fushimi Saruhiko, the heart of HOMRA's front lines," Akira murmured upon introduction. "Those are some pretty noble titles for a couple of thugs who would bully an innocent civilian."

Grinding his teeth was the least that Saruhiko could muster as he felt the weight of a knife come into his palm in preparation to face the challenge ahead. They could split hairs about his tendency to walk around armed any given day, but that was one thing he would agree with Neirah on every time. HOMRA was the centre of too much conflict for him not to come prepared.

"Keep your nose outta our business!" Yō barked impatiently.

"Civilian or not, this kid's no stranger to HOMRA," Masaomi agreed. "If he didn't want trouble, he should've kept out of it too."

Rikio advanced, knocking his knuckles into his opposing palm and giving them a thorough cracking as he took the other side of their vanguard to face their enemies. "Dewa's right," he drawled. "You two sure are good at talkin' shit even though it's just the two of you. You must be damn cocky to think that you can handle all of us on your own."

Misaki advanced a step to centre his right foot on his board with a wicked grin broadening on his face. "Fushimi?"

"Yeah," Saruhiko droned. "You know, I wasn't gonna get involved, but in just a few words, you two managed to piss me off."

As Andy and Akira readied themselves for the confrontation with fixed gazes, Misaki coughed out a derisive snort. "Looks like they're gettin' into it," he ridiculed. "Can you blues even fight without your swords?"

"Don't underestimate those who serve under the Fourth King," Akira reassured him edgily. "Dōmyōji, remember that securing the safety of the innocents in the area should be our number one priority."

"Yeah, yeah," Andy dismissed in a flighty tone. An eager gleam reflected in his jade eyes as his smile broadened. "We'll be doing that by putting these guys in their place, right? I'll take the mouthpiece on the skateboard. I'm looking forward to teaching him to respect our clan."

"Dōmyōji!"

"Fine by me!" Misaki roared on approach. "Come at me blues!"

Akira was staggered to think that their confrontation had escalated so quickly, but a scuffle with the Red Clan was unavoidable if they wished to maintain order. Watching Andy charge HOMRA's vanguard still made him nervous, because he could respect that their opponents weren't to be taken lightly. Luckily, before he could try and interfere with the impending conflict of two ignited auras, someone else had stepped into the fray.

When he said stepped, what he meant was leaped, dived, tumbled across the floor and raised onto delicate fingertips before performing a split kick that saw a foot slam into each of the ginger's jaws before they could collide. Then, springing from her hands into a front aerial, her layout landed her just far enough away that she could swing her flaming leg into a full roundhouse strike, beating Andy back until he was toppling through the store entrance with a pained yip.

"Dōmyōji-!" Before Akira could approach, he choked on his attempt at calling out to his friend when Neirah's golden kunai raced past his pulse a whisper away from his skin. He remained gravely still as he panted his hesitancy next to the dart that was sticking out of the wall adjacent, his peripherals nervously tilting to face the woman straightening in the centre of the store. "What the-?"

Her tone saturated in venom despite her voice uttering the caution quietly. "Don't. ruin. my day."

Neirah's burning gaze locked with Akira's, and he felt his blood run cold. She had managed to silence the groaning vanguard in an instant, reining in their need for conflict just by appearing. When he considered the sight of her regal posture warding off their offence, he realized who stood before him.

"The Red Lion," he muttered apprehensively. His teeth ground together with his clenching fist. "Damn… She was here too?"

From where Andy was picking himself out of the settling debris across the hall, he clutched his aching arm with a pained wince. "That's the one Lieutenant Awashima-san warned us about, isn't it?"

"Stay close," Akira commanded.

Despite the humour being void in Neirah's expression a moment prior, a sinister smirk curled her lips to consider Andy's casual proclamation. "She talks about me, does she?" A low purr rumbled in her throat as she approached Akira with the purpose of reclaiming her weapon. "I must have made an impression."

Panicking to the sight of her nearing, Akira ripped her dart from the divider and readied to face off. "Don't come any closer!" he ordered. "We at SCEPTRE4 seek to prevent conflict between the clans, but if you persist, I won't hold back!"

A devilish grin was joining her sardonic cackle as she derided his announcement. "And why would you? Because I'm a woman?" With incomprehensible speed, Neirah ducked beneath his impending strike and popped up alongside him to seize his arm. She cracked it unnaturally until it forced him to drop her knife. Once he twisted, she pinned his arm between his shoulders and dropped him to his knees. Slowly rolling her head to one side revealed her malicious intent to his agonized expression as she playfully rested her chin on his shoulder. "You're not worth my time," she cautioned him sultrily. "And neither is she if she can't even address me properly to her fellow clansmen."

Through wild eyes and crooked glasses, Gin watched in utter disbelief as HOMRA's hunter went to work. He had uncovered a lot of stories about the beast she became to protect her friends, but what he was seeing was even more inhuman than he thought. She moved fluidly with the wind, her eyes flashing fire. He couldn't help but marvel once she'd arrived, but when he saw the sight of Andy bravely approaching the woman in hopes of protecting his fellow clansmen, he scrambled towards the commotion in alarm. "Tsukiyo! Look out!"

When Neirah heard Gin call out to her like he thought she needed his help to track the heavy footsteps of the youth at her back, she rolled her eyes and beat Akira forward. When the tension in her bent knees released, she sprang backwards over Andy's approach. Upon landing, she raised her sole and helped the boy carry his momentum into his ally. "Seri-chan obviously hasn't trained you two all too well yet, has she?" she purred scathingly. "Or maybe you were too busy gawking at her chest to pay attention to her lessons."

When Andy scrambled to his feet, he immediately glowered at the brash announcement on the lioness' lips. "I won't let you disrespect the Lieutenant like that!"

A burning Neirah tipped her head back with a sinister cluck. "Then go ahead and stop me, boys," she challenged. "But do me a favour when this is over and make sure you tell her every word I've said. I want her to be good and angry the next time we meet."

"Is this chick crazy or what?" Andy hissed apprehensively. "She definitely has it out for the Lieutenant, not to mention she's really creepy." He shuddered. "Ehn… chills…"

"We should call for backup," Akira murmured from where he knelt by Andy's side. "They're right. It's pretty arrogant of us to think that we can take six of them on our own, especially with their vanguard and hunter here."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Misaki snarled. "One girl shows up, and you lose your nerve just like that?! What a bunch of pussies!"

"They must have the same complex as you do," Saruhiko interrupted dryly.

"F-fuck off!"

Tsk. Saruhiko growled as he returned his throwing dart to his sleeve. It seemed like his entire effort to be the moderator was ruined by Neirah's sudden strike of conscience. It looked like she didn't have any intention of continuing the scuffle, but he supposed if she was going to be flighty, he appreciated her leaning towards the other side for once. "Whatever. Now that Tsukiyo's involved, the rest of the blues are probably going to be here any minute. I'm not interested in going to war over a dress."

"Fushimi, what the hell!?" Misaki barked intolerantly. He rushed to Saruhiko's side with tense fists, hoping to intercept his friend's retreat. "Where's your sense of pride!? You can't just walk away from a fight! It'll make HOMRA look bad!"

There was exhaustion on Saruhiko's face as he rolled his eyes with a dull click of his tongue. "Says the guy who just got his ass handed to him by a woman, and a woman on his team, none-the-less," he hummed impatiently. "As usual, Tsukiyo's managed to take care of things on her own regardless of your pride."

"Don't make me separate you two as well." Neirah smiled as she straightened, tossing her shopping bags over her shoulder like the entire ordeal hadn't happened. "But he's right, Yata. We're done here, so let's go home."

Groaning his defiance, Misaki whirled to face her with a disheartened look on his face. "We're really just going to let them go?"

Neirah's expression darkened as she tapered her gaze on the sight of the men panting bitterly on the floor of the upturned store. "Picking on a pair of defenceless blue clansmen would also be bad for HOMRA's pride," she mocked. "It would be no better than bullying civilians, wouldn't you say, boys?" Her sadistic smirk faded to genuine contentment the moment she'd turned it away from their rivals. "Let's try this again someday, but next time, bring your toys out to play."

"My Excalibur is not a toy," Andy snarled.

Similarly, Akira ground his teeth and hissed with the pressure of his defiance. "I think I understand why the Lieutenant doesn't like her. She certainly has a mind of her own." He watched their party retreat like the entire ordeal had never caused walls to buckle beneath their violence, and he couldn't help but feel discouraged as he dropped his gaze to his clenching fist. "They made us look like fools." But in the end, an order was maintained. Gin was released, and without either of the disappointed men realizing it, he was also approaching.

"Are you two alright?!"

Andy turned and cocked a brow towards the brunette curiously, a little befuddled when the commoner showed more worry for their state than his own. "Wait, shouldn't we be asking you that? You're the one they were after, weren't you?"

Gin laughed off the ginger's concern and straightened his spectacles. "Oh, that? Don't worry about it! It wouldn't be the first time those guys have beat me to the curb."

As Akira climbed to his feet between the two, Andy's brow twitched with bafflement.

"Well, at least they're not liars," Akira announced wryly. "They did say that you weren't a stranger to their clan."

With a bright smile, Gin offered them a friendly giggle, happy that the blue clansmen were a little more inviting to converse with than the red. "Actually, if you're not too busy, would you have time to answer some questions for me?" He turned to face where Neirah had taken one last look of longing at the kimono on display in the front window before allowing his expression to humble with dismay. "I… want to know more about your world," he admitted dismally. "A world where anything and everything is possible." He raised sad eyes to meet the concern on the faces of his hosts, and another meek smile found his lips. "I-is there a way… to become a part of that world?"