Shuu was sitting straight watching the events unfolding before his eyes with a feeling like his life was a play he was observing from a front row, more like a viewer in the theatre than an actor playing the leading part. For quite some time now he had this distinctive feeling that he had no control over the events and that no matter how hard he tried he would never be able to avoid the pitiful fate he could almost foresee. The suit he had on was uncomfortable with a tie around his neck making breathing that much harder. It was stuffy in the courtroom and even with the air-con on, the temperature was only slightly lower than outside. Shuu wasn't even trying to understand what the lawyers were talking about his gaze solely fixed on the man he hated the most in the world – his father. Serving his sentence for the past years, he clearly lost some weight and deep dark circles around his eyes were making him look older than he really was. 'You deserve that old man' Shuu mumbled to himself too quiet for anyone to hear him. Someone grabbed his hand and gave it a delicate squeeze and when he looked to the side he noticed clear concern in Hotaru's eyes. Of course, she was here with him. Why wouldn't she be there? She was his strength. She was his. If he were to describe who exactly she was for him he wouldn't be able to find the right words but he knew that no matter what he would never let go of her. Not now. Not ever. His gaze wandered towards the judge who was about to announce the sentence. In Shuu's mind seconds stretched to minutes and then to hours but when the judge finally read the sentence out loud, the only thing Shuu could feel was the regret of not being able to turn back in time and live in a never-ending loop of those few seconds before he heard the verdict.

Hotaru ran after Shuu, but the court's corridors were crowded, and soon she lost the sight of him. When she finally reached the exit, his red corvette wasn't where they left it and she knew he was long gone. For the first time in her life, she had this urge to just sit and cry out and then hope for someone to stop and save her. But she didn't do it, instead of she headed straight to a nearby cafe. Yes, the last couple of days were really hectic and she honestly started to believe that she was cursed. First the thing with Midori-san (she still couldn't fathom what exactly transpired between the two of them and why he did what he did to her), and now this.

The jury decided that due to his deteriorating health Shuu's father would be transferred to the psychiatric ward instead of rotting his days away in the prison cell. She could only imagine how that must have felt and judging by the expression on Shuu's face she wasn't far from the truth. For the last several months the two of them were doing everything they could to earn some money for the hospital bills and now, Shuu's mum was in a critical but stable state and his father who was the sole reason for this would be transferred. Even for her it seemed wrong and what was the last straw, was the second part of the jury's verdict: since Shuu was his father only living relative he was to support him financially as his pension wasn't enough to cover the bills. It was cruel, to say the least, and Hotaru had this suspicion that the judges did that because Shuu was convicted of petty crimes himself in the past. So in their minds, it was to teach him bearing responsibility for others. For the father he loathed.

Hotaru didn't even register when she reached the cafe but once inside she ordered a large ice coffee and sat with it outside near a big tree the shadow of which seemed both comforting her heart and protecting her from the direct sun. She was sipping her coffee slowly savouring its taste when someone called her name from the distance. She looked up and noticed a tall guy, his white hair shining in the sun as if they were on silver fire. Immediately, she recognized Fujimon – well, it wasn't that difficult considering he was honestly one of a kind.

– Good morning, Tachibana-kun. May I sit down with you? - Fujimon asked politely and Hotaru just nodded in agreement.

– What are you doing here, Fujimon-san?

– I am having my lunch break. The weather is great so I thought I would take the opportunity and go for a walk – Hotaru smacked herself in the forehead, mentally that is. How could she be so stupid? Of course, he would be here. Hoshishiro hospital was on the other side of the park they were in.

– And you, Tachibana-kun? Shouldn't you be at school?

– Tachibana had some errands to run so Tachibana took a day off from school – she said wanting to avoid telling a detailed account of her day so far. Luckily, it seemed that Fujimon-san wasn't interested in the subject instead he had in mind a topic of his own.

– Tachibana-kun, if I may... I know it is not my place and I don't know what exactly happened between the two of you... But could you please forgive Midori-san whatever he did to you? - well, that was something Hotaru didn't expect to hear from the man in front of her in her wildest dreams. Heck, she would probably be less surprised if he told her he was the greatest fan of this show with ponies that kids these days loved so much.

– Fujimon-san, did Midori-san send you here?

– No, of course not! I wanted to talk to you for some time now but the timing was never good so when I noticed you today I thought that's my chance – he was blushing slightly which made him look like a puppy of a Great Dane. Hotaru sighed.

– Fujimon-san, Tachibana doesn't want to be rude but what happened between her and Midori-san shouldn't be your concern...

– But you are not talking to each other! And I can tell just by watching from the side-lines that it breaks Midori-san's heart...

– Well, if that's the case and Midori-san really wishes to make things right, Tachibana may only suggest that you tell him that it is a high-time for an adult like him to learn how to voice his feelings and stand-up for what is important to him – the words came out so naturally but they sounded harsh and so she quickly added:

– Tachibana is not mad at you for bringing this up, Fujimon-san. Tachibana just thinks that since it was Midori-san who done goofed, it is he who should try and make things right. Not you, and certainly not Tachibana.

– Yes, you are right Tachibana-kun. I am sorry for bringing this up...

– Don't be Fujimon-san – the girl smiled reassuringly – You are a great friend and I am not sure that this doctor of yours understands how devoted you are. Now if you excuse me, Tachibana must go.

– Yes, of course. See you at the camp-field this weekend, Tachibana-kun.

– Yep, see you there, Fujimon-san – she waved at him before walking away.

The map was laying flat on the hard surface of a wooden table. Well, to be exact it wasn't a map, but a plan of a building similar to those sometimes shown on TV in action or heist movies of all sorts. The paper was dark blue with thin white lines tracing the shapes of rooms and floors, showing hidden passages and doors, windows and staircases. Looking at it from above, this was a true maze and Hotaru could feel like her confidence was slowly evaporating with every gaze she shot at the plan. Right now, she wasn't sure that the two of them had any chance to win this challenge. It didn't help that the atmosphere between her and Midori-san was still tense and that the other members of both teams were picking up on this. After her chance encounter with Fujimon she was adamant on avoiding Hoshishiro's leader and making sure never to be left alone with him in the same room. She knew she was being childish, but at the same time, she wanted him to apologise first. Otherwise, she was sure she would be the one reaching out if they ever found themselves alone.

In passing, she noticed that Matsuoka-san seemed to be more on edge than before and that he was constantly guarding her. She felt he was doing it for all the wrong reasons, but somehow she didn't have it in her to confront him about this. There's been too much drama in her life recently and so she didn't think it was wrong of her to yearn for some peace of mind.

She gazed at Midori-san once more. He was bending over the plan, studying it carefully and she could almost see how the white lines were being engraved in his memory. She bit her lower lip impatiently. If she was to be honest with herself, he was pissing her off, with his cold 'nothing had happened' attitude. She wanted to scream at him, to shake him up to the core in a similar way his kisses shook her. And yet every time she thought she wouldn't be able to contain her anger anymore, she managed to calm down or distract herself. Today was no different because just before she reached her boiling point, she turned around and walked out of the stuffy room.

They still had several hours before the next challenge – storming the base guarded by Agartha – and she knew both the plan and their strategy by heart. There was no point in sitting there and observing him when he clearly didn't want to have anything in common with her anymore.

She started walking again, directing her footsteps straight into the shooting range. It was ironic to say the least that the last lesson they had together before the fallout of those awful kisses, was actually useful and it made it easier for her to aim now. Somehow, her body could remember what the doctor showed her, and unfortunately, not only the aiming part was stuck in her mind. She pushed the door leading into the cool of the shooting range, and without hesitation, she walked towards the booth they were practising at the last time they were here.

She could still remember the sensation of his hands on her thighs, and his lips on her neck. How it felt to be pinned against the wall by him. In the dim light, she felt her cheeks burn. Hotaru grabbed one of the pistols that were left here for practice, checked if it was loaded and then started firing. Each shot landed dead on centre. Bang, bang, bang. Her muscles cramped from the recoil, but she ignored the feeling. She reloaded and started shooting again, her mind showing her other memories that she wasn't so happy to remember. Her dancing on his laps, him tugging her hair behind her ear, her hugging him tightly after their first win and him kissing her forehead. She wanted to convince herself that all of this was merely a game to him, but she knew it wasn't. Whether he liked it or not, she knew exactly what type of man he was. Kind and dishonest. Broken.

The last bullet pierced the target and Hotaru just rested her hands on the table in front of her and breathed in deeply. She had to steady her heart if they were to win the next challenge. The idea was for one team to storm the fortress guarded by the second one. The ones attacking, in this instance herself and Midori, had the advantage of getting the plan of the building so that they could find all the hidden passages and use the element of surprise. The other team, however, had the advantage in numbers as it was several dozens against two, plus it was always easier to guard a place than to attack. She and Midori would have to work closely together and with how things were between them right now, she was almost sure they would fail. It was even worse because they would be failing a challenge against Agartha and Hotaru really wanted to rub the smile off of Shingen-san's face.

Midori's reaction to her question told her that her suspicion was right and Shingen was a reason why Midori left Matsuoka-san behind. On one level she knew she should have been happy that this happened because there was no place for her in the alternative universe where the two of them still played together. She could be part of Toy Gun Gun only because all those years before Midori and Matsuoka broke up their team. She understood it all too well, yet she couldn't bring herself to be happy that it happened. And that's because she just felt like they were robbed off good times and friendship by some careless remark.

Lost in her thoughts she didn't hear the quiet steps behind her and realise that she wasn't alone a moment too late. She whirled around but the person behind her was quicker. Once again she found herself pinned to the stone-cold wall, this time with her arms held in place high above her head by her attacker's hand. The other hand grabbed her chin delicately and before she understood what was happening, Midori-san pressed a light kiss on her lips. Then he rested his forehead against hers and whispered against her lips:

- I am so sorry, Hotaru-chan – she wanted to reply, but he stopped her pressing his hand that was holding her chin a mere second ago to her lips, preventing her from saying anything:

- I am ashamed of what I did to you and how I acted. I didn't want to talk about Masamune with you, but that doesn't mean I had any right to act the way I did. I am terribly sorry – he whispered letting her hands go and moving away by stepping back.

Hotaru felt her heart ache when she was looking at the man in front of her. He truly looked as if he regretted everything and she for once didn't know how to feel about this. There was something in his eyes, this lingering darkness mixed with sadness, that before she knew what she was doing, she grabbed the shirt on his chest with both her hands and pulled him towards herself. The surprise in his eyes when she stood at the tips of her toes and kissed him was a sight she knew she would never forget. At that moment Hotaru felt that what they were doing would send shock waves across both teams and that the ripple effect may be hard to predict. But for better or for worse, in that very moment, she didn't care at all. She was tired of hiding her emotions, tired of wearing all those uncomfortable masks. She wanted to be seen. To be seen by him. Not in her glory, but in the dim light at this shooting range.

When she pulled away from his lips to catch some breath, Midori-san lifted her off the floor with no effort, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. He was looking straight in her eyes, searching for something and when he found it, he simply pushed another door, closing it behind them with a quiet click. For a moment, they stood motionless in the middle of a small room that contained some old gear and unused weapons. It seemed like it was storage at some point, now long forgotten and left to the dust with one bare lightbulb hanging low from the ceiling in the centre of the room. And there in the middle of it, stood a table covered with some dusty fabrics, perhaps old tents. Midori sat her cautiously on the table so now she was levelled with him, and then delicately opened her legs so that he could stand between her thighs. Neither of them said anything, both painfully aware of their desires, instead, they were just watching each other as if they were seeing one another for the first time. Then the man smiled lightly and whispered to her:

- Once we start, I won't be able to stop myself, Hotaru – his voice was coarse and he was breathing heavily. The girl felt her cheeks burning up as she started to realise what his gaze full of lust was promising to do with her.

- I.. I don't want you to stop – she stuttered slightly, oh so embarrassed at what she was suggesting to the handsome man in front of her.

Midori smiled at her, letting his hand slide up her thigh, with the tip of his finger tracing small circles between her legs. Her cotton shorts were no armour and so if her quickened breath didn't tell him that she found his actions enjoyable, her damp panties did. And when he realised that he felt as if all of his senses were set on fire and he couldn't care about the age difference or any other crap that stopped him before. He had had enough of tiptoeing around her so careful as not to break her. Right now, when she was in front of him with her hot lips waiting for his kisses, and her hips open and inviting, he couldn't care less if he was about to break her.

With haste, he pulled off her shirt and bra and traced her pale naked skin with his tongue and teeth. She moaned when he bit her neck, but leaned back to give him even better access to her throat. He pinched one of her nipples slightly which earned him another moan. They started kissing again, fervently, almost brutally as if they wanted to eat each other up. Midori could tell she wasn't experienced and it made him even more determined to give her pleasure for the first time. He tugged at her shorts and when she moved her hips up, he pushed them down together with her pants. And lo and behold, there she was, his Hotaru, all naked and bashful, squirming under his touch, yet with her thighs wide open, taunting him. He let his finger slid inside her and she bit her lower lip in pleasure. He started moving inside, tracing circles with his thumb on the outside, kissing her nipples and drowning in the pleasure when she moaned his name. He only ever intended to make her come like this, but then she whispered against his lips:

- Please take me, Nagamasa.

Hearing his name from her lips destroyed the last ounce of reason he was desperately holding onto until now. But it was gone, and before he knew, his trousers slid to his ankles and he started moving his cock against her, hard as steel and ready to burst any moment now. She was whining and moaning, wet and ready, but he stopped for one last moment and looked her in the eyes:

- Are you sure you want this, Hotaru? – he asked against himself, praying to gods that she would say yes because if she asked him to stop now, he wasn't sure he would be able to.

- Yes – she whispered finding his eyes. The beautiful green eyes he came to like so much were clouded with desire, her cheeks coloured red like roses in the summer garden, her golden hair dishevelled and ruffled. And he felt immensely proud when he realised that he was the one who did that to her. He smiled and kissed her delicately, and then started to press against her womanhood. He was trying to be delicate knowing it was her first time, pressing ever so slightly, moving deeper and deeper with every breath she took in. Hotaru bit her lower lip and close her eyes shut, her fingernails dug deep into his arms, but he didn't stop. He felt the desire building up in him, feeling how tight she was, and then when his entire length was hidden inside her he stopped for a moment giving her time to adjust.

- Are you alright, Hotaru? – he asked kissing her neck. He could feel how her walls tightened around him as if she was trying out a new found power. She didn't reply but nodded against his lips and it was his cue to start moving again. With every nudge, the pain was leaving her features and soon she was looking straight at him, hot and hungry for more.

- You are driving me insane – Midori said as he started to gain some momentum.

It didn't take long before they found a common rhythm with her hips echoing his thrusts. Their sweat mixed with their breaths, the dust covering their naked bodies like war paint, their groans muffled by the sheer number of things clattered in this small room. Midori could smell the faint scent of gunpowder from when she was practising her shots before he sneaked up on her and soap, as well as her smell on his fingers that not so long ago were playing with her. Another thrust and he could feel how she tightened around him, pulsating sensation sending shivers down his spine. His breath became as strained as hers when he started moving even faster, completely forgetting that the girl in his arms was new to this game.

He just wanted to drown her in pleasure, to swallow her all, and it came as a surprise when he felt his own orgasm spreading like a wave of pleasure around his body, and for that couple of seconds when her head leaned back he bit her neck sucking slightly, making sure that he was as deep inside her as possible. Then they both erupted, tightly wrapped against each other, one body and soul. And he felt a connection that he never felt with anyone before. The doctor felt blissful when the two of them slide down onto the dusty fabric, still united, with his full length buried deep inside her.

- Thank you for trusting me with your first time, Hotaru – he whispered into her ear and got surprised again when her quiet reply reached his ears:

- I am ready to trust you again if you are up for the challenge, sensei – she stressed the last word in a way that send shivers down his spine, but what got him up was the tightening of her muscles around his cock. He shot a quick glance at his watch. They still had some time before their next match with Agartha so really there was no reason to hold back anymore, although he knew his partner in crime would be sore afterwards. But who was he to refuse her?

Cold water was running down her body, cleansing the dust and slowly putting down the fire that still burned in her loins. Hotaru stood in the women's baths, under one of the showers, with her head facing upwards and cold stream cooling her mind. She couldn't believe what had happened mere moments ago. Even though she had already spent like fifteen minutes under the running water, she could still feel his scent on her, the burning sensation of him inside her and soreness that it left once they finished. It was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. And every time her mind recalled the events that transpired at the shooting range, she could feel her body becoming hot and ready again. She almost couldn't recognise herself. Was she always a girl like this?

If someone told her three years ago when she first met him, that something like this would happen, she would scream aloud in embarrassment and punched the brave idiot as hard as she could. But many days passed since their first meeting and she had to admit that she changed in the span of three years. She wasn't this innocent, justice-loving girl who looked like a boy and acted like a monkey anymore. No, she was all grown-up now, with dreams and desires of her own, and although her teammates still treated her like she was fifteen, she very clearly wasn't. And somehow when she thought about this it wasn't that surprising that he was the one who first noticed the change in her. No, to be frank, it wasn't surprising at all, since Midori-san was always the one who would look directly at her and see her as she was.

She stepped outside of the shower cabin and dried her body with a towel quickly as it was quite cold in this big empty space. She started dressing up, dark leggings that fit her like a second skin, sports bra and tight camisole in dark brown colour as the rest of her clothes. She tied up her military boots, making sure that the knots were tight and well hidden, and then started drying her hair. When next time she looked into the mirror she felt strange seeing the young woman looking back at her. Her blond strands were longer than she remembered and green eyes looked as if they were shining stars. She smiled hesitantly to herself, a shy, timid smile. She just had sex with a captain of the opponent's team, a man ten years her senior and an accomplished paediatrician at that. And she was completely lost as to where they both should go from there. For a second she wanted to flee, to run as fast as she could to a faraway place where the repercussions of what they did wouldn't matter, where no-one could find her. But before she could do that a quiet voice disturbed her thoughts and inner peace, sending shivers down her spine:

- Are you alright, Hotaru? – when she turned around, she saw Midori-san standing in the entrance to the women's bath, looking at her with the intensity she thought was reserved only to their fights at the battlefield. Before she gathered her thoughts to form any coherent reply, he shut the doors behind him, locking them inside, and came close to her. His silver-grey eyes were searching her face, and Hotaru knew that some of her fears must have shown in her features because without a word, he pulled her close to him into a tight embrace and kissed the top of her head lightly:

- You don't need to be worried, Hotaru-chan. I promise that I won't say anything to anyone and keep this a secret for as long as you like. And if you prefer that, we can act as if nothing happened – he whispered into her ear.

Something in his tone or in the way he was holding her, told her what she was so desperate to hear. That he truly cherished her and would do anything in his power to make her feel happy and safe. That's why she climbed on her toes and kissed him. It was a delicate loving kiss and she could only hope that he understood what she wanted to say when the words failed her. Looking into his eyes, she knew he did especially when he chuckled under his breath and leading her outside of the women's bath said lightly:

- We have a challenge to win, my warrior princess.