"So how do you wanna play this?"

Yata grunted, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the alley wall. Nanako's eyes moved from him to Kamamoto, Chitose, and Dewa standing to her left. Her darks eyes then drifted right, out the mouth of the alley and to the shabby bar across the street. The Yotta Uma bar was old, and clearly hadn't seen a new coat of paint since it was opened. Alas, it was a favorite watering hole of members of Tatsu. It was Friday night, and she knew that there had to be at least a dozen gang members inside in addition to the establishment's usual sleazy clientele. A half dozen men stood outside smoking, two of which she recognized as Tatsu.

Nanako looked back at the vanguard, seeing him still eyeing the bar with a frown.

"Well?" she pushed. Yata shot her an annoyed look, but pushed up from the wall, swinging his bat over his shoulder.

"We go in and burn anyone in our way," he stated bluntly, and she felt a ripple of excitement go through the other boys. Nanako rolled her eyes- of course they would choose a plan without any tact. After all, it was the Red Clan's style to burn first and ask questions later.

"I figured," she grumbled as they began filing out of the alley. Dewa patted her on the shoulder with a knowing smile as Kamamoto and Chitose surged forward with Yata.

They hadn't even made it all the way across the street when the two Tatsu members locked eyes on her. They dropped their cigarettes, eyes going wide. While one turned and disappeared back into the bar, no doubt to get backup, the other pulled a handgun out of the waistband of his jeans and pointed it at her.

"Stop bitch!" he shouted, pulling back the hammer. Nanako only blinked, feeling more confident than she ever had before while looking down the barrel of a gun; after all, she'd never done it while surrounded on all sides by warm bodies pulsing energy, and who she knew were there for her. Not for her powers, or her expertise- they stood with her because they gave a damn about her. It was odd, and she was still getting used to it, but she couldn't deny the warm feeling in her chest when Yata pointed his bat at the gang member and barked,

"Get that bastard!"

They all broke apart as the sound of the hammer going off filled the air. Yata's bat connected with the man's wrist a moment later, the gun going flying to the side. The skater's fist connected with the man's face a moment later, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Nanako rushed past him, sending her boot into the solar plexus of the man just about to come rushing through the door. He went stumbling back, knocking into another man coming up behind him. Nanako shouldered her way inside, feeling Chitose at her back. He stepped up, a flame wrapped fist connecting with another man as he moved past her.

"Try to keep up Chisaka!" the brunette crowed as he dodged a fist. Nanako scowled at him, but her attention was caught by the gleam of metal, and she saw another man pull a gun out of his jacket. She thought he would aim at her, but when she followed his line of sight she saw his gun pointed at Yata. The vanguard, wrapped in a layer of bright flames and his bat whistling through the air, didn't seem to notice.

Nanako flicked her wrist, the familiar feeling of a knife settling in her palm seconds later. She pulled her arm back and checked her aim, then let the blade fly. The Tatsu member screamed as the blade went into his arm, the blade going clear through and only stopping when the hilt hit his flesh. The gun clattered to the floor.

Around her, people were throwing themselves into the fray. Most of them were Tatsu, but some were just people with a bone to pick with HOMRA. Those who wanted nothing to do with the fighting scrambled to get out before they got hit or the bar went up in flames. Looking at the HOMRA boys brawling around her, she figured there was a good chance that would happen soon.

"Leave a few alive," she yelled over the chaos, but she knew they heard her.

It only took them a few minutes to incapacitate everyone in the bar. It felt weird not delivering the final blow, but she knew killing wasn't HOMRA's usual style, and she would have to learn to respect that.

The five of them surrounded the three Tatsu members kneeling on the ground, all in various states of disrepair. One in particular stared straight at her, his one eye not swollen shut shooting daggers at her. Nanako crouched down in front of him, almost expecting him to spit on her with the amount of anger in his expression.

"Tell me about Chiba Giichi," she said flatly, her face blank and her eyes showing only a hint of annoyance.

"Fuck you," he spit, "you crazy cunt."

"Oi," Chitose barked, "that's no way to speak to a lady."

The gang member let out a bark of laughter, a sneer on his face, "That is no lady. That's a fucking animal."

Nanako frowned, but otherwise showed no sign his words affected her.

"Tell me about Chiba Giichi," she repeated, bringing her right hand up to eye level and flexing her fingers till the joints cracked loudly. The gang member's eyes froze on the sight of her hand, some of the fight leaving him.

"Are you deaf too bitch," he growled, "I said I'm not telling you shit."

"Arai," the man kneeling next to him hissed, clearly more afraid of the assassin than his fellow gang member.

"Shut up," Arai barked, his eyes swinging back to Nanako's face.

"If you don't wish to speak of Chiba," Nanako drawled, "then tell me where your boss is."

All three men jerked straight at that, and she was surprised the blond on the end didn't try to make a break for it. He looked like he was about to pass out.

"Never," Arai growled.

Nanako looked over her shoulder. Yata was glaring daggers at the gang member, his bat glinting in the light. He looked down at her, and she watched as he dropped his chin slightly in approval.

"Very well," she sighed.

In moments, screams filled the air. Arai shook violently under Nanako's hand, his mind tearing at the seams under her power's hold. The blond at the end of the line finally broke, springing to his feet and making a mad dash for the door. Kamamoto had him on his back in seconds, leaning back over the gang member.

"What's the matter?" Kamamoto joked, "scared?"

Tears had begun to leak from the corners of Arai's eyes, his hands clawing desperately at Nanako's arm. The black-haired girl didn't move though, her dark eyes hooded as she concentrated. His pulse was racing, his heart beating at twice the speed it was supposed to. He was so close, if she just let a sliver more of her aura into his mind his heart would stutter out beneath her. And she wanted to. This man was a bad person, a bad person who called her a fucking animal. She was angry and-

Nanako nearly jumped as a heavy hand landed on her shoulder. Her head swung around, taking in Yata's grim expression. She knew what that look meant, so with a tsk of annoyance she relaxed her palm, cutting off the energy flowing out of it and releasing the gang member. He fell to the ground, still screaming and clutching his head, but still alive.

His comrades scrambled away from the screaming, withering body, their eyes wide in terror as they looked up at the strain.

"Is there anyone else who feels like being difficult?" she questioned lowly, her demon-like eyes boring into them. The two remaining gang members looked away nervously, shrinking back as she crouched in front of them again.

"What do you know about Chiba Giichi?" she asked, leaning in close.

"Fukuda-sama called him in last week," one whimpered, "he told Chiba that he wanted you taken out by the end of the month."

"Why?" Nanako asked. It wasn't unusual for an assassin to be given a time table, but hits on other pros were dangerous and timely and Fukuda knew that. It was more unusual than usual for Chiba to have been given a deadline on an assignment like this.

The man in front of her looked to the blond who'd tried to run earlier, finding no help from his petrified comrade. Nanako turned her eyes to the blond, who nearly yelped at her look. She fisted his shirt, yanking him forward.

"Fukuda-sama is getting in a special shipment at the end of the month!" he blurted, pulling against her hold.

"Oi, shut up!" the other man hissed at him, but the blond ignored him.

"No one has stepped up to take over Mori's territory. Fukuda-sama is getting a shipment of product twice the size of what he normally imports so that-"

"So that he can move into Mori's territory," Dewa cut him off.

Nanako watched as Yata reached down and yanked the Tatsu member out of her grip.

"That's HOMRA's territory you're talking about," Yata growled, "and if your boss thinks he can just move in we'll burn him so bad there'll be no ash left behind."

The blond whimpered as flames began to rise around the skater, the heat seeping into his skin. Nanako pushed back to her feet, taking note that Kamamoto's face had turned slightly wary as he looked at his partner. Clearly even the other HOMRA members were wary of Yata when his temper sparked like this. So, with that in mind, she stayed quiet as the gang member started screaming, the flames licking his skin leaving behind deep burns. Yata dropped him before it went too far, but even she flinched at the state he'd left the Tatsu member in.

"Che," Yata turned, stalking towards the door, "let's get out of here."

Nanako gave the Tatsu members one last look before following the HOMRA boys out. The night air was cool against her skin, and she took a deep breath. Her blood was still pumping with adrenaline, but the darkness and the cold were helping bring her back down.

"Fucking assholes," Yata scoffed, swinging his bat up over his shoulder.

"No need to get so upset Yata," she called.

Instantly, Yata turned on her, his eyes narrowed to slits.

"Don't tell me what to do," he barked, "those bastards are trying to move in on our territory. They have no right to disrespect Mikoto-san like that!"

"Suoh does not need you to protect his honor," Nanako replied, "he's a big boy he can do it himself."

Yata surged forward till his nose was an inch from hers, "Shut up. Just because you don't give a shit-"

"I don't give a shit?" she cut him off, eyes narrowing, "Those fuckers sicked the most dangerous man in the city on me. I'm probably going to be dead by the end of the week and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. So don't tell me I don't give a shit Yata. All I'm saying is don't lose your fucking head."

Silence fell over them. Yata's face had lost its some of its anger and around them the other boys stared at her in surprise.

"What?" she barked, and they all jumped.

"Chisaka," Chitose stepped forward, "Chiba isn't going to kill you. We'll all protect you-"

"Shut up Chitose," she hissed, "I'm not a member of HOMRA. If it came down to it don't pretend you wouldn't hang me out to dry. I know where I stand and I'm dealing with it."

Nanako clenched her fists. She was so angry, she was furious. These bastards, saying that they would protect her and getting her hopes up. As if they could.

"Where are you going?" Yata called as Nanako spun on her heel and heading down the street, in the opposite direction of bar HOMRA.

"Away," she called back, and in moments she had disappeared into the dark.

Nanako tipped her glass back, the liquor burning as it went down. She was wallowing, no question. She hadn't meant to lose her temper like that with the boys, it was just that Yata got on her nerves like no other sometimes and this whole business with Chiba made her feel like she was drowning and-

"Oi," she called, raising her glass when the bartender looked at her, "another."

The older man nodded, walking over and filling her glass with more dark whiskey.

Nanako had been to this bar many times. It was a regular haunt for criminals, including other assassins, and she was waiting for one criminal in particular tonight. A man she hardly knew but who knew Chiba better than anyone. It was a long shot, but he was her only shot at figuring out a way to stop the shape shifter.

She tipped more of the liquor down her throat, welcoming the burn it left in its wake.

The door opened, and her eyes drifted to the entrance. Immediately, she perked up. There, looking as unfriendly and annoyed as ever, was Chiba Ikki, the older brother of Chiba Giichi. Ikki was a thief, a damn good one too, and she'd worked with him once on a museum heist. Some yakuza had wanted a particular painting for his home, and he'd hired Ikki for the job, and her as his protection.

The man was older than her, probably in his late thirties, with dark brown hair that he wore smoothed back and grey eyes that made even her shiver. She doubted he remembered her, but when his eyes landed on her she saw a spark of recognition. She held up her glass and motioned for him to come over. To her surprise, the man scowled but did just that.

"Can I buy you a drink?" she asked when he was close enough, and Ikki nodded.

"Last I heard you'd turned and joined HOMRA," Ikki grunted as he pulled himself up into the bar stool next to her. Nanako made sure she kept her expression blank, not wanted to reveal how close to the truth that was.

"Not a chance," she said instead, raising her glass, "what do you want?"

"Whatever you're having's fine," he replied, and Nanako flagged down the bartender. When the older man had a drink in front of him, she took a moment to pull out a cigarette and light it, taking comfort in the familiar feeling of smoke curling down into her lungs before getting to the point.

"I won't beat around the bush," she exhaled, "neither of us have the patience for that."

Ikki grunted his agreement, taking a sip of his drink.

"The leader of the gang Tatsu hired your brother to kill me," she said, and for possibly the first time since she'd known him she saw surprise enter Ikki's eyes.

"Then you're already dead."

Nanako swallowed the lump in her throat at his words, taking another drag.

"I'd like to avoid that," she replied, tapping the ash on her cigarette off into a nearby ashtray.

"And you think I know some trick you can use to beat him," Ikki scoffed.

Nanako knew Ikki held no love for his younger brother, in fact he hated when people even referred to them as such. Alas, he was a seasoned criminal, just like her, and she knew any chance she had at getting his help would come at a price.

"I'd owe you a favor," she added, taking a large sip of her drink.

That seemed to peak Ikki's interest. After all, in their world a favor was no small token.

"I do have a job coming up I could use some help with," he drawled, and Nanako knew he was gauging her reaction. She kept her face neutral.

"What kind of job?" she asked, and the way the corner of his mouth went up in a smirk made her fight down a shudder.

"Well since you asked…"

When Nanako stumbled back into the bar at nearly 3 am, drunk off her ass, she didn't expect anyone to be awake. Of course, she was wrong.

She didn't sense him at first. In fact, she didn't realize he was there until she stumbled past the couch and saw a pair of amber eyes, glaring at her. Nanako ground to a stop, blinking in surprise.

"Why are you awake?" she mumbled, praying he'd not be in the mood to talk. She knew she should have gone back to her apartment. She got drunk like this so infrequently, and more so no one in HOMRA had seen her inebriated.

But when she'd finally stumbled out of that bar, wanting nothing more than to pass out and sleep till noon, instead of thinking of her bed in her apartment, she thought of the one she had at HOMRA. She'd thought of waking up with Nori on top of her feet, and of a cup of Izumo's coffee. She was sure she'd be scolded for running off, but surprisingly that still sounded better than waking up in a cold, empty apartment.

She blinked slowly, wary of Mikoto's silence. His face was blank, but in was clear in his eyes he wasn't amused.

She huffed, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You seriously ran off to get drunk?" he said lowly, and Nanako was surprised he could tell but then again, she doubted it was the kind of thing that would get past him.

"Not specifically," she mumbled. She wasn't lying. Soon as she'd agreed to help, Ikki had brought her up to speed. Their employer was someone she was familiar with, a man known as the Dealer. It was an apt title. The man dabbled in the sale of every illegal product she could think of; guns, drugs, even people. He'd hired her once about two years ago to take out members of a gang who robbed one of his warehouses, and had paid her extra to bring the goods back. Of course, she hadn't realized the goods were a half dozen crates of stolen army weapons until she had killed the gang members and opened the crates. She'd demanded extra for the trouble, and he'd done so with no argument.

The man now suspected one of his higher associates, one in change of the sale of the majority of his narcotics, was skimming. The Dealer was not a rash man though, and before he ordered a hit or the like he wanted proof.

Ikki had been hired to break into the man's office and burn a copy of the man's hard drive onto a flash drive. His main issue was that there was only one key to the office, and the man kept it on him at all times. More so, the office was at the back of a club with twenty of his men between Ikki and the door. Her job was simple really- get the key and keep the man occupied and out of his office while Ikki did his part. Nanako knew what Ikki expected when he said to keep the man occupied. And in exchange, he'd help her kill Chiba Giichi.

Of course, this had all been discussed over just shy of two bottles of whiskey.

The chain on his jeans rattled as Mikoto pushed to his feet. Nanako swayed slightly looking up at his face when he came to stop just short of her. She couldn't deal with him right now, just thinking of what she would have to do two nights from now and how she might ruin whatever this thing was between them doing it.

But she was desperate, and despite HOMRA's promise to help and protect her, Nanako knew this was her problem first and foremost. She'd rather they not involve themselves, god knew she was probably going to get killed doing this, and there was no need for them to put themselves in harm's way too.

"Where did you go?" Mikoto's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, her sluggish mind kicking back into gear.

"A bar," she replied, starting to take a step back from him. Mikoto's hand snaking around her elbow stopped her.

"Where?" Mikoto pressed, and Nanako frowned at him.

"The factory district," she replied honestly.

"With who?"

"No one," she replied immediately.

Mikoto's eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything in response. She knew he didn't believe her, but he didn't look like he was going to press her anymore and for that she was grateful.

"Do you need help getting upstairs?" he finally sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Nanako blinked in surprise, his voice having softened significantly.

"No but," she bit her lip, never normally so bold but drunk enough to not care, "can I stay with you tonight?"

Mikoto's eyes softened. His grip on her elbow vanished, only to be replaced by the feeling of a strong arm looping around her waist. Nanako looked up into his eyes, the orbs that had reminded her of a churning volcano only moments ago now as calm and gentle as the sea.

"When you're ready," he mumbled into her hair as he bent down to lean his forehead against her temple, "tell me what's going on."

Nanako's breath hitched. Of course, of course he knew there were things she wasn't telling him, but of course he had to be a frustratingly good person and not press her.

Mikoto tightened his grip when a sigh shook the woman's frame, and a moment later she melted into him. The fact that she was even willing to lean on him like this showed how far she had come since arriving at HOMRA all those weeks ago. How far they had come since that first time he'd kissed her on the roof.

"Okay," she relented, "I promise, when I have a better handle on it, I'll tell you everything."

Nanako smiled at the grunt he gave in response, letting him pull her along when he pulled lightly on her waist. His arm stayed wrapped around her, steady as a rock, as they climbed the stairs and went into his room.

As soon as the door clicked closed behind them, Nanako shrugged out of her coat, throwing it over the back of the leather armchair in the room. Though she didn't know it, Mikoto's eyes were glued to her figure as she shrugged out of the rest of her clothes.

With each article of clothing she threw over the armchair, he watched as dozens of tattoos and, hidden beneath, even more scars were revealed. Mikoto thought she was beautiful. Even if she didn't have perfectly smooth skin, and had more tattoos than a yakuza, and hid every inch of herself in shame and self-consciousness, he thought she was beautiful. Her body was as womanly as any others, and odd as it was he loved her eyes. Most people who looked at them thought of demons and felt fear, but red had always been a part of him, and when he looked at them he felt nothing but affection. When she was down to just her black panties and matching bra, he couldn't help but put his hands on her.

Nanako shivered as his large, calloused hands slid across her hips before rising and settling on her waist. If she was in a clearer state of mind, she'd be embarrassed as she pressed herself back against him, letting her head roll back and baring her throat like a needy cat. She bit her lip at the feeling of Mikoto's fingers skimming up her stomach, up between the valley of her breasts, before brushing lightly against her collarbones.

"You're never so affectionate," he rumbled lowly, pressing his lips to her neck and reveling in the moan she gave in response.

"Are you complaining?" she shot back, reaching up and burying her hand in his hair.

The hum he gave in response made her breath hitch.

"Not at all."

Nanako jerked awake at the sound of her door slamming open against the wall. Immediately her head pounded in response to the sound and the sudden movement.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Yata roared, stomping over to her bed with a look on his face that could peel paint.

Nanako thanked her lucky stars she'd woken up an hour earlier and dragged herself upstairs to her room. Just the thought of the rampage Yata would have gone on if he'd found her bed empty this morning, or worse if he'd found her in Mikoto's, made her head ache more than it already did.

"Shut up," she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

She hadn't had a hangover like this in at least a year, and hadn't dealt with the headache any better then. Mikoto had actually had the nerve to chuckle when she'd clumsily sat up earlier, cursing and groaning as she came to. He'd brushed the hair out of her face and given her an affectionate look.

'Seems there's actually something you're not good at.'

She would have hit him for that comment, but she'd felt even worse then than she did right now, and frankly it would have been too much effort.

"Don't tell me to shut up," Yata growled.

Nanako kicked the blankets off her legs, swinging her legs around to sit on the edge of the bed.

"You can't go off about something like that then just disappear," Yata grit, and Nanako could feel the anger rolling off of him.

"Well I did," she sighed, narrowing her eyes at him.

Yata sputtered, then the next second he was in her face.

"We were out all night searching for you. We actually thought Chiba had found you. Do you honestly not give a single shit about what you do to the people around you?" he seethed, and Nanako stiffened.

"It was not my intention to worry you," she replied quietly, pushing to her feet.

Despite the anger still coursing through him, Yata couldn't help but look away with a slight flush as she entered his personal space.

"I know I'm not easy to deal with."

Yata blinked, swinging his face back around. Nanako was looking at the wall, a frustrated look on her face.

"I hope you believe me when I say I'm working on it," she finally met his eyes with a huff, "trusting you guys, that is."

"I just," a scowl marred her features, "I do things alone because that's how I've always had to do it."

Yata blinked in surprise. Nanako looked surprisingly earnest, despite the slightly annoyed look on her face. He got the feeling she wasn't normally so forthcoming with her thoughts, and swallowed down the immediate sarcastic retort he wanted to give.

Fact of the matter was, he liked Nanako. She may not be an official member of HOMRA, but she had been there for almost two months now, and each day she'd been making an effort to be more open with them. She still grated on his nerves a lot of the time, but he'd be lying if he didn't say she was a friend, and someone who's wellbeing he was concerned about.

Nanako had only told a few of the members about Chiba, and even then, she'd kept it under wraps. So, for her to suddenly go off about how she would be dead soon and there was nothing they could do about it, it'd made his gut twist into knots. And when she'd disappeared into the night, and they hadn't been able to find her, he'd been scared.

Hence his anger when he'd burst into her room and found her passed out without a care in the world. Now though, he could see she looked haggard. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face looked gaunt, her face paler than it normally was. Clearly, her night had not been smooth sailing.

"What happened?" he asked instead.

"Nothing," she shot back, "I met with someone who might be able to help me, that's all."

"That's good at least," Yata's brows furrowed at the look of subtle frustration on her face.

"What?" he pushed, and Nanako's eyes drifted back over to him.

"It's nothing," she repeated, "I was just out late and my head hurts."

Nanako blew out a breath as she lowered herself back down onto her bed, telling the storm was over.

"Give me two more hours," she called as she laid back down, throwing the blankets over herself, "then I'll make an effort."

Nanako's a light weight haha! I hope you guys liked this chapter! If anyone read my most recent update of Paper Crown, then you saw my explanation for my much slower updating (aka my starting grad school), but I'm trying my best to keep up with my active fics. I still love this story so much though, so please no body think I'm going to abandon it, no matter how long I go between updates! Can't wait to hear your guys' thoughts on this chapter!

Gally