One of these days I will post a chapter update before midnight. *Sigh*

So far, the storyline with Daichi as a cop is in the lead, but there's still time to vote! Thank you so much to those of you who have voted already!

Review Replies-

TheJadeWarrior- Hello again! The run-ons are all fixed now! That's a great way to word how to avoid repetition! I'm going to have to use that. Lol I say night and day a lot in comparisons too. I'm so glad that you can see the exposition of the characters! That's always something I'm worried about. Thank you for the compliment on my verbs! Personally, I think it's fun to play around with them. I believe they really help with imagery and storytelling too. WOW! Has it really been 17k words?! Lol I don't always notice the word count. I'm glad it doesn't seem super bulky too. After this story and "Kiss it Better" I definitely have more confidence in ship writing and want to write more pieces now lol. Thanks for the vote on the plot!

~Kiera

"Yaku, what's on your mind?" Kenma questioned the man who was clearly engrossed in his own head; not paying a lick of attention to the meeting happening around him.

"Just thinking about something." He responded. He smirked when Kenma remained silent, encouraging him to continue. Kenma always was quick on the pickup. Despite not being a people person, Yaku had yet to find someone Kenma couldn't read. It was always surprising how Kenma managed to wiggle his way into someone else's head, but it also a testament to his strength. People had a tendency to underestimate Kenma due to his appearance and attitude; but underneath his calm demeanor, was a raging storm.

"When I came inside yesterday, after the negotiations were over, I almost ran into someone. I only caught a glimpse of his face, but he seemed familiar. I know I've seen him somewhere before. I can't place it though."

"Was is a regular? We have quite a few, after all." Kenma questioned in an effort to keep his mind going.

"No, that's not it. It was someone I just can't- ugh! I know I'm forgetting something!" Yaku groaned in frustration. He had forgotten about the encounter when he was reporting yesterday after the meeting. However, now that he had remembered, he couldn't stop replaying the scene in over and over inside his head. It concerned him. Normally, he was an expert at recognizing faces, but with only seeing a small fraction of the other man's face, it was hopeless to remember that way.

"Give it time." Kenma reassured him, there was no doubt in his mind that Yaku would get to the bottom of this,

"Did you hear the rumors about the Russian Mob moving in?" Kai asked the group, effectively changing the subject.

"I don't think that's true. There's been no evidence to support it." Yaku scoffed. He would deal with this mysterious person later, for now, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

"I don't see how they're going to be able to claim any territory. We're already fighting over land as it is." Fukunaga agreed.

"Where did these rumors come from?" Kuroo questioned.

"I've heard whispers in the streets. Heard someone mention something about twins wreaking havoc." Kai informed.

"Has Aoba Josiah said anything?" Kuroo prodded.

"Not yet, Sir."

"Then for now, assume it's just rumors. Keep an eye out, but if there's no evidence- it's just a rumor." Kuroo ordered.

"You said twins. Could it be the Twin Foxes are on the move?" Fukunaga nudged Kai to regain his attention.

"I don't think so, apparently they were both blond. There was no mention of their Family either." Kai elaborated.

"Those two are hard to mistake. If it was them, we'd know." Yaku argued. Murmurs of agreement rang out among the group. The Twin Foxes were certainly troublesome. If they really were roaming about, they'd make headlines.

"What else to report?" Kuroo asked after a brief silence.

"It's been a while since I've seen Oikawa or Iwaizumi. Either one of them is dying, or they've gone to ground again." Kai again informed.

"I suppose it has been a while since the last time those two went off the grid. If we've noticed, then they should be returning to the front lines soon." Kuroo spoke up. Everyone knew that the leaders of Seijoh occasionally went and hid away somewhere, but no one knew where. For that matter, no one knew what they did either. Kuroo assumed they just took a break, his belief on that only strengthening during his tenure as boss. There was no concrete way of knowing though, seeing as it was one of Seijoh's closest guarded secrets. He knew the only way of knowing would be to infiltrate Seijoh, but that was a scheme for another day.

"Johzenji and Nohebi have been awfully quiet, don't you think?" Fukunaga pointed out.

"I saw Terushima running around a few days ago. I don't know if he has a job, but they're still active." Yaku disagreed.

"Let that snake hide in his hole." Kuroo muttered.

"Kuro." Kenma broke his silence then. It was no secret that Kuroo had a strong dislike towards Nohebi. Dislike was the polite term for Kuroo's emotion on the matter. It was the only thing that actually worried Kenma about Kuroo's leadership abilities. He had faith in Kuroo just as his grandfather did, but he knew that one day Kuroo would be put in a delicate situation involving Nohebi. It would be crucial for Kuroo to put his feelings aside and do what needed to be done, but Kenma feared if he had the ability to do it. Kenma didn't doubt Kuroo's resolve to the Family, knew he would do whatever it took to protect them, but his personal feeling towards Nohebi could blind him.

"I know. If there's nothing else, then we're done here." Kuroo stated. Glances were thrown and heads were shaken before everyone gave a parting and stood to leave. All of the members present gave a small bow to Kenma on their way.

The people in this room were the only people who knew of the real chain of command inside of Nekoma. Kenma trusted each of these men enough to tell them the secret, knowing all of them would give anything for the sake of the Family. Kenma, Nekomata, and Kuroo had all agreed on these high ranking members to know the truth.

Kenma eyed Kuroo when he moved over to look out of the nearby window. So far, he was doing extremely well. Kenma was impressed with his old friends adaptability and how easily he fell into this role, but he knew it was taking its toll.

"Oikawa and Iwaizumi have it figured out." Kenma said as he stood up as well.

"What do you mean?" Kuroo muttered, struggling to keep his mind in the present.

"Going off to hide somewhere. Someplace only their higher ups know about, I'm sure. It's probably how they stay sane with all of the information they filter through on the daily." Kuroo hummed an acknowledgment at his words, but otherwise made no signs of life.

Kenma knew he was losing the other man to his mind, "There's no shame in taking a break, Kuro, especially when nothing is happening." Kenma finished. It was a lesson he himself had to learn a long time ago. He figured Kuroo would act just like he, himself, used to when he first started getting involved in the leadership of Nekoma. Kenma started to make his way out of the room then. Kuroo had something on his mind so he wouldn't bother pressing his point. He would prove it to him later when Kuroo was in a state to listen.

Hanamaki was: not happy. That was the only word for it. It was just supposed to be a simple run. All he needed to do was go from HQ over to Oikawa and Iwaizumi's private flat for a report. No one told him he was going to walk right into a shootout. Hanamaki felt like kicking himself for not noticing the signs in time. Thankfully, it didn't seem like the opposing parties had noticed him, but he didn't dare stick his head out to test his theory.

Hanamaki whipped his head around trying to figure out what was going on while remaining safely crouched behind a concrete barrier. The flash of yellow in front of him told him that Johzenji was involved, but he couldn't see the other members. He ducked back down when a stray shot got a little too close for comfort. He attempted to calm his heartbeat and listen instead. With all of the gunshots and random yelling, it was nearly impossible, but he forced his body to do as he commanded. He couldn't hear Terushima's voice, and due to the location, Hanamaki considered it safe to assume it was just a little squabble between families. Stuff like this happened all the time.

Hanamaki knew the cops would be arriving soon, so he redoubled his efforts to find a relatively safe way out of this situation. He looked around again, looking for an exit, but also trying to find the other team. A flash of black, and a spray of bullets was his only indication of a team other than Johzenji. When sirens started to sound in the distance, there was a small loll in the firing. Taking his opportunity, Hanamaki dashed through the alleyway behind him, tearing across the ground to head towards his original destination.

He was panting heavily by the time he reached the building, clumsily grabbing the door handle and ripping it open to start the long trek upstairs. The ridiculous number of flights only helping to further ruin his day. "Not happy" was now a serious understatement in Hanamaki's mind. When he finally reached the top he was sweaty, pissed, and completely done with today. He marched up to the door, and straightened as much as he could before knocking.

"Makki-chan!" Oikawa wretch the door open and shouted in his face, engulfing the other man in his arms. Hanamaki attempted to say something, but it was lost somewhere in Oikawa's chest. He pushed against the other man, fighting for release. When that proved to be impossible, he resigned to his fate. Relaxing enough for Oikawa to continue to hug him until he eventually relented with a pout.

"You worried Matsukawa." Iwaizumi informed him as they made their way fully inside.

"He called shortly before you arrived." Oikawa filled in the rest.

"Is he okay? What happened?" Hanamaki questioned, concern written all over his face. Why would he call them if he knew that Hanamaki was already on his way over?

"Nothing happened. He was calling to add on one thing to the report you were supposed to have already given us. We told him we hadn't seen you and he started to freak out." Iwaizumi helpfully stated.

"I just started receiving reports of a shootout, which didn't help matters. I was just about to send Iwa-chan after you." Oikawa said, still pouting at him.

"Sorry to worry you, Oikawa-dono." Hanamaki finally noticed that while Oikawa remained in lounge gear, Iwaizumi was dawned in his field attire. He really was about to go out and hunt him down. "What was the reason behind the shootout anyways?"

"Apparently someone thought it would be a good idea to steal product from Johzenji."

"I didn't see the other team." Hanamaki said in response to Oikawa's raised eyebrow after his words.

"Damn. I haven't gotten a clear report yet. We think it might be a rogue team that got reckless and attacked on their own, but we aren't sure yet."

"You don't have all the information, Oikawa-dono?" Hanamaki teased.

"Don't give me that! This just happened a few minutes ago, and I'm still getting contradicting reports!" Oikawa snapped back.

"Give us time, and we'll sort it out." Iwaizumi glared at both of them to keep the teasing from turning into tempers.

"Of course, Sir. Ready for my report?"

"What? Oh yeah, what happened with the Cat and the Owl?" Iwaizumi rolled his eyes at Oikawa's temporary forgetfulness. The shootout was troubling news, but it wasn't anything new. They saw something like this almost daily. Right now, their attention needed to be on the other families. An alliance between Nekoma and Fukurodani could mean trouble for Seijoh one day. They needed to know what they planned to do so they could prepare for the future.

Iwaizumi furrowed his brow. With Nohebi wanting information on Nekoma, it more than likely meant they were planning an attack on them. If they did attack, they could potentially drag Seijoh down with them. Seijoh wasn't exactly aligned with Nekoma, but they stayed out of each other's way. The last thing they wanted was a war with Nekoma. They didn't want a war with Nohebi either, but it would be the better of the two options. Just like the rest of the families, Aoba Josiah was no stranger to war, but that didn't mean they exceled at it. Iwaizumi wasn't kidding when he warned Oikawa of splitting with Nohebi when they started to move seriously. A war with Nekoma would be devastating to both sides. A war with Nekoma and Fukurodani? Iwaizumi feared they wouldn't survive. If Nohebi had a death wish, then so be it. Let them have their war, but leave Seijoh out of it. If Nohebi had a master plan, and they actually succeeded, then congratulations. Seijoh could provide information, but not men. They had no intentions of fighting a war. Never again.

"Iwa-chan? You still with us?" Oikawa's voice cut through his thoughts to drag him back into the present. Iwaizumi shook his head subtly to clear it and blinked at Oikawa. He realized that Hanamaki had finished his report. To his credit, he had he listened with half an ear to the report and knew what was said.

"Of course." Iwaizumi reassured the two others. Oikawa, however, didn't look convinced. He knew he would never get his Iwa-chan to talk though. It wasn't in his nature to talk about something that worried him to someone. It took a long while for Iwaizumi to freely voice his concerns in front of Oikawa, but there was no way he would voice them with a subordinate present.

"Alright. Makki, anything else?" Oikawa said instead, tearing his eyes away from Iwaizumi.

"No, Sir." Hanamaki said in a militaristic voice.

"Then you're dismissed." Oikawa waved a hand in front of his face.

"Very well, Oikawa-dono. Iwaizumi-san." Hanamaki gave a small bow before retreating out of the door he had entered, closing it behind him.

"Now, tell me, what's on your mind, Hajime." Oikawa firmly stated. That wasn't a question or a request. Iwaizumi could never deny him though, and launched into a rant of the thoughts haunting him earlier.

Kuroo's unseeing eyes stared out of the window. The small part of his brain still paying attention informed him Kenma had left, allowing his mind to fully drift off. Kuroo was pleased with his new alliance, he really was, but something was bothering him. At first, he had tried to tell himself he was just being paranoid, but now he wasn't so sure. The problem he had was the lack of information. The easiest fix would be to go to Aoba Josiah for information, but if they knew this, it would greatly damage the family. If Seijoh was tasked by Nekoma to snoop on Fukurodani right after forming an alliance, it would give Seijoh a dangerous piece of information. No, there had to be another way.

Kuroo raked his brain for anything. Anything! After a heaping helping of absolutely nothing, Kuroo ran his hands through his hair, messing it up even more. There was a way. He knew there was. He just had to find it. Think! Think! Think! How could you spy on someone when you can't use the greatest spy network there was?

The old fashion way, his brain informed him. Old fashion? He cocked an eyebrow at himself then. Sometimes he didn't even know what the hell he was on about.

Focus. His inner Kenma reprimanded him. What was the best way to gain information if you couldn't ask it directly, and you couldn't involve a third party? Simple. Don't involve the third party. The only reason they couldn't use Seijoh was because it would give them a piece of information they couldn't be trusted with. But, what if you could trust the person? Someone who you knew was aligned with you, and shared the same opinion?

There's only one option. Kuroo's mind insisted. The only way to get information without using words to ask for it, was to observe it with one's own eyes. Kuroo hummed to himself. His course of action was now clearly laid out in front of him.

A double agent. Someone from Nekoma needs to infiltrate Fukurodani.

That was it. That was how he could get information without risking the distrust being revealed. Now, he just had to find the right person. It had to be someone who could take the mental and physical strain of being a double agent without letting the facade crack. Someone who could be trusted with such a high priority mission. After all, this distrust couldn't be common knowledge among Nekoma either. If Nekoma members started showing little signs of unease, it wouldn't take long before everyone noticed. It also needed to be someone with the ability to wiggle in close to Bokuto without raising any alarms. If Bokuto became suspicious, then this whole endeavor would be pointless. Who from Nekoma could handle the extravagant personality of the opposing boss?

If it were physically possible for lightbulbs to appear in midair, then Kuroo would have a flashing neon sign above his head. He knew just the man. It made perfect sense when one thought about it. He was a high enough rank to be trusted with this. He was used to dealing with a wide variety of people and attitudes. And, best of all, seemed to be a good match for Bokuto in Kuroo's mind.

"Would he be willing to do it?" Kuroo said aloud to himself. He had to choose to do it. If Kuroo forced him, it would be all too obvious. Kuroo didn't see the man refusing, a job like this was right up his alley.

"I wonder what his reaction will be." Kuroo snickered to himself. He was half tempted to call the man now, but he knew he was working tonight.

Rest Kuro. His inner Kenma yelled at him again. This was a mission for tomorrow. He still needed to figure out a believable way to get him inside Fukurodani too. He'll have to talk about that to the real Kenma tomorrow.

For reasons unknown, I couldn't properly type the word "door" every. single. time. it's seen in this story. So, from now on, the word "door" will be replaced with the phrase "the entrance made of wood with a handle."

Chapter 8 is in progress. See you next time!

~Kiera540