-Haruka-
Haruka lay content with her head on Michiru's, chest dozing happily away as Michiru was running her fingers through her hair, when sudden pain flooded her brain.
She cringed.
"Everything ok there?" Michiru asked concerned.
"Hmmm? Of course. It's nothing." Haruka waved off the concern as she slowly got up and gritted her teeth. "Probably just my stiff neck" Haruka explained.
Michiru sat up and signalled to Haruka to turn around so she could massage her neck. Haruka obliged and sat facing away from the violinist as Michiru's hands masterfully caressed Haruka's neck and back.
"You are bruised all over." Michiru pointed out.
"That just means you need to be more gentle with me" Haruka joked lightly to cover up the fact that the effort of just staying conscious caused her forehead to break out in sweat even more.
"You know what? How about a refreshing shower after working up such a sweat?" Haruka suggested as Michiru ran her hands up her neck.
"Sounds good, where is your bathroom?" Michiru asked.
"Upstairs, to the left, the first door on the right. How about you go ahead and I just grab some towels for us and join you then." Haruka turned around with a smile.
"Don't take too long." Michiru kissed Haruka on the top of her head and went upstairs.
Haruka watched Michiru getting well out of sight before leaning her forehead on the back rest of the couch and suppressing the urge to empty her stomach's content right then and there.
'1…2…3…4…5…6...7…' Haruka slowly counted before she managed to take a few deep breaths and was able to shake off the nausea. When the pain finally subsided, she got up and got the towels she spoke of.
After a, more or less, quick shower and getting dressed, they both were back in the living room and Michiru was fixing Haruka's bandages. When Michiru was bandaging Haruka's right hand again she caressed over the bruised knuckles and asked concerned: "Does this still hurt?"
"No, this is nothing. It could be worse. I mean imagine both of my hands being like that today. Things would have gone a lot different" Haruka chuckled and Michiru blushed. "Or are you trying to tell me with your silence that my left hand wasn't good enough for you?" Haruka chuckled.
"No, it's really good." Michiru answered a bit too fast and Haruka had to laugh.
Michiru pinched Haruka's arm.
"Ouch, hey, gentle, I am injured." The blonde reminded the violinist.
"If you weren't so good at what you do, you would come across as so conceited." Michiru commented as she fixed the bandage in place with a clip.
"I didn't promise too much when I told you that my left is pretty good. Just imagine how good it will be when my right hand has healed as well." Haruka laughed and Michiru just shook her head but a light smile gracing her lips.
Haruka watched Michiru and wondered how many people ever got to see this shy side of the siren.
"Well you should look after yourself better." Michiru recommended before she stood up and closed up the first aid kit.
"Yes, yes." Haruka nodded as she looked at her watch and noticed that it was already time to get back to pick up Hotaru again.
They were sitting in a comfortable silence in the car on the way back to Hotaru's Kindergarten when Michiru turned to face Haruka.
"We didn't get much done today…" Michiru noted
"If you ask me, I got a lot…done…" Haruka smirked. "I am sorry that I need to pick Hime-chan up now. I can drop you off wherever you want afterwards." Haruka offered.
"Nothing to apologise for." Michiru said understandingly. "We just need to use our time tomorrow more productive." Michiru stated evenly.
"Well if you ask me ….." Haruka started.
"…with actual work, Haruka. The Council meeting is supposed to be some time end of the month, but if the mediator decides for it to be next week, we need to be ready." Michiru finished her sentenced.
"So not happening." Haruka smirked with conviction.
"How can you know that?" Michiru asked sceptically.
"I… was part of the security for the last two meetings. I would even think that there is a possibility that it gets delayed…. just call it a hunch." Haruka chuckled. "All of the Council members will be bringing their own security and those need one week's notice as well. Ten gorillas per regular Council member and twelve for each of the members of the core Council members better known as 'the Hand'. All regular gorillas will do the outer perimeter security while the 60 gorillas from the Hand do the inner perimeter security. We only need to coordinate them and take care of the nucleus security. All very simple." Haruka said easily.
"You know what simple means, right? That makes it predictable and predictability makes it vulnerable." Michiru argued.
"Do you really think I do things predictably? I remember you were quite surprised when I …." Haruka smirked suggestively.
"I just didn't have enough data to work with yet." Michiru interrupted.
"Want more data?" Haruka smirked.
"You are unbelievable." Michiru sighed exasperated.
"I know, I'm a true miracle of mankind." Haruka chuckled.
"How is it possible that your ego even fits into this car?" Michiru stated with a raised eyebrow.
"It's a convertible. Also, you do know the universe is ever expanding, right? You're welcome." Haruka snickered.
Michiru just shook her head and Haruka just laughed.
-Michiru-
They parked near the Kindergarten and walked through the gate to wait for Hotaru.
"Haruka-papa!" The little girl came running out with a big grin and the blonde picked her up and swirled her around.
"Hey there little one" Haruka said tenderly before she put the little girl down again, who quickly turned to face Michiru.
"Hello Michiru-nee, are you here to come with us to buy my bed?" Hotaru asked as she took Michiru's hand in her free one and they walked together off the Kindergarten's grounds.
"Oh? You are going to buy a new bed?" Michiru asked in return.
"Yes, Haruka-papa said that I am getting my own room in her house, so I can choose the bed I want to have." Hotaru explained.
"Hime-chan, Michiru-san still has a lot of other things to do today, so she might not be able come with us today." Haruka interrupted.
"Oh, I don't know. I think I can make time for Hotaru-chan. It just means that it is necessary to work even harder tomorrow." Michiru reasoned. "I am not the only one working who should be working after all." Michiru gave Haruka a sideways glance.
"Great! Then we can have some ice cream afterwards as well." Hotaru cheered.
"I never said anything about ice cream." Haruka interjected.
"Haruka-papa, you said that the next time we go out with Michiru-nee, we would eat ice cream again." Hotaru reminded her.
"You have such a sweet tooth" Haruka shook her head.
"I wonder where she got that from." Michiru giggled.
They drove to a big furniture store and Hotaru had a lot of fun browsing the various furniture there. On the ride to the store Michiru noticed a car following them and Haruka had grown more silent since they picked up Hotaru. Two men had been following them into the store, but have kept their distance as they walked between the various furniture displays. Suddenly Haruka called Hotaru back to her. "Hime-chan, want to have that ice cream now?" Haruka suggested.
"Of course!" Hotaru nodded.
They walked to the small café in the store and Hotaru got her ice cream, while Haruka settled for a coffee and Michiru had a cup of tea. Haruka asked Hotaru a lot about her day at the Kindergarten and Hotaru obliged by bubbling happily away about all her big and small adventure there. Michiru kept a wary eye on their followers while still interacting with Hotaru and Haruka.
"Hime-chan, you got ice cream all over your face, why don't you go and get cleaned up?" Haruka asked the little girl and turned to Michiru. "Michiru, would you mind going with Hotaru? Every time I go with her to the women's restroom it causes confusion." Haruka grinned sheepishly.
"Yes, of course." Michiru answered before Hotaru and her went together to the bathroom.
-Haruka-
Haruka signalled for the two men who had been following her to come closer.
"I thought it was very clear and common knowledge that I do not appreciate these unannounced visits Tachibana-san." Haruka said evenly, displeasure clear in her voice, while focusing her gaze on the smaller of the two men.
"My deepest apologies Tenoh-sama." Tachibana and his companion bowed deeply. "We have tried to contact you, but Kou-san was adamant, that you are not taking any requests for the time being. If this wasn't an urgent matter, Kimura-sama wouldn't have sent me to you." Tachibana explained.
"You have one minute. When my godchild comes back and you happen to still be here, be assured your request has been rejected." Haruka said evenly.
"We have gotten word that Caiden Warwick will be coming to the country soon." Tachibana said hurried.
"How soon?" Haruka asked curtly.
"Tomorrow." Tachibana answered prompt.
"What does he want?" Haruka continued to ask.
"I don't know, but we know that he has requested lodgings and weapons from various splinter groups." Tachibana informed her.
"What has that to do with me?" Haruka looked him unmoved into the eyes.
"While those transactions can't be stopped anymore, we are worried that Himura-sama will misunderstand it as taking action against his family, now that we have worked out this fragile peace, just because we caught wind of it." Tachibana explained.
"Have you tried warning him?" Haruka suggested.
"His son has not responded to our warnings; he said it has nothing to do with him. Kimura-sama wants to avoid conflict at all costs, though we know we can take them on if push comes to shove, too many men would be lost senselessly." Tachibana kept glancing nervous into the direction of the bathrooms.
"Fine. I look into it. I won't make any promises." Haruka sighed.
"Thank you so much Tenoh-sama." Both men bowed deeply again.
-Michiru-
Michiru watched Hotaru washing her hands carefully.
"We will be going to bed section next, do you know what kind of bed you want yet, Hotaru-chan?" Michiru asked her to fill the silence.
"Can you keep a secret for me Michiru-nee?" Hotaru asked her sombrely in return.
"Of course I can." Michiru answered sincerely.
"You promise me never to tell Haruka-papa?" Hotaru double-checked.
"I promise." Michiru reassured her.
"I don't want my own bed." Hotaru answered solemnly as she finished washing her face and resumed washing her hands. "I am only here to make Haruka-papa happy. Haruka-papa doesn't sleep much; she has a lot of nightmares and headaches. Haruka-papa says that when I hug her, her headaches go away, so I want to keep Haruka-papa safe from them. I don't want my own bed, that way I can stay in hers and make sure she never sleeps like my mum did." Hotaru explained.
Michiru just stood there speechless.
Hotaru climbed off the little stool provided for children and went to the exit "Come, Michiru-nee, we can't make Haruka-papa wait too long. She is very impatient and will get worried." Hotaru called.
Michiru nodded and both went out again.
The two men that had followed them were gone and Haruka sat with a deep frown etched on her face at their table.
"Haruka-papa, what are you thinking about?" Hotaru seemed to interrupt her from her deep thoughts.
"What took you so long Hime-chan? I already started to think that you fell into the toilet" Haruka grinned.
"Haruka-papa, I would never do that. Michiru-nee and I are girls, girls always take long." Hotaru explained.
"Oh, right. How could I forget that? Ok, let's get going and find you a pretty bed" Haruka got up and took Hotaru by the hand.
Haruka leaned over to Michiru and whispered into her ear: "Thank you for going with her, I know she can be a handful"
"Oh, you have no idea." Michiru snickered.
-Haruka-
They had just returned from dropping off Michiru at the IIA and Haruka took Hotaru to the office level of the Tenoh tower with her after she changed her into more comfortable clothing in her apartment.
"Hey there Hotaru-chan!" Yaten greeted them as they entered the communal area behind the offices.
"Hello Yaten-jii!" Hotaru greeted back happily.
It was an unspoken agreement between all of them that they would have at least three meals with everyone present in a week. Now that Hotaru was there it extended to at least one communal meal a day which was usually dinner. Hotaru went ahead and pulled out her special chair.
"Enjoyed your bento?" Yaten asked as he set the table for dinner.
"Very much" Hotaru answered as she climbed up her chair.
"Hey there little one." Seiya joined them.
"Hey Seiya-ji" Hotaru grinned back.
"Did you find yourself a nice bed?" He asked her as he sat down at the table.
"No." Hotaru answered indifferent.
"Oh, how come?" Taiki joined the conversation as he brought out the rice and side dishes.
"There was none that I liked, Taiki-jii." Hotaru explained nonchalant.
"We even checked out the princess beds, the unicorn beds and all the other pink beds that we could find." Haruka elaborated with a sigh as she helped Hotaru into her special chair.
"Maybe Hotaru-chan prefers a red or blue one or even a car bed?" Yaten suggested.
"Oh, trust me, we went through the whole spectrum of possibilities. But this little princess didn't like any." Haruka told the three stunned looking men.
"Haruka, a woman just knows what she wants when she sees it. Am I right Hotaru-chan?" Kakyuu came to Hotaru's support as she carried in the bowls with Miso soup and plates of grilled fish.
"Women are impossible to understand." Seiya proclaimed exasperated
"Don't worry, women are not there to be understood, there are there to be loved. If you do understand them, it's good, if you don't then you can only hope that they will make sense to you when you are in love them, and even then it is not the easiest of tasks" Haruka chuckled.
"I miss our bachelor days." Seiya mumbled.
After dinner they all went to viewing room where they usually watched a short cartoon with Hotaru and Haruka pulled Yaten aside.
Yaten passed her a small box. "I made it just the way you wanted it to be."
"Thank you Yaten. By the way can you add me Caiden Warwick, with all his aliases and his known associates onto special notice list on the watch system?" Haruka asked him.
"Sure." Yaten nodded.
"I take it you talked to Kimura." Taiki interjected
"No, Tachibana stalked me today." Haruka explained.
"I thought we agreed on no work for a while." Taiki spoke softly to avoid distraction from the cartoon.
"I didn't promise anything. I only said that I would look into it. With the Council meeting being due soon, every bit of information on the shady characters that might want to find out our plans or interrupt the whole event is of value." Haruka justified herself. "I am leaving the bento making for tomorrow to you guys. Don't forget to make it balanced and no candy. I am going down to the clinic for a treatment cycle tonight, my bruises are aching." Haruka explained.
Both men just nodded.
After the cartoon and wishing everyone a good night Haruka and Hotaru returned to her apartment and got ready for bed.
Haruka waited until Hotaru was well asleep before she left the bed again and went downstairs to the clinic.
Kayuu was still in the laboratory when Haruka notified her that she would be going on dialysis.
"That is unusual that you come in so early for it." Kakyuu noted.
"Hmm, the bruises started to ache more than expected." Haruka explained as she lifted her shirt to show Kakyuu her swollen ribs.
"Oh, goodness, let me hook you up. It's amazing you are still breathing unaided." Kakyuu led the way to the treatment room.
"The swelling just started this afternoon. Would you mind going upstairs and staying with Hotaru while I am here tonight? I would prefer her not to be alone for a while." Haruka asked her as she lay down on the treatment bed and got hooked up.
"Of course. You should take things easier for a while. No more training for you for the coming week at least. Doctor's orders." Kakyuu said sternly.
"Aye, aye ma'am." Haruka snickered.
Kakyuu put the oxygen mask in her: "I just want to be sure that, while I am up there with Hotaru-chan that, you aren't doing anything stupid down here." Kakyuu explained as she adjusted the machines around Haruka.
"Hmmm." Haruka nodded.
"I have made progress with a new compound, it doesn't do much besides slow down the virus's multiplication, but it could extend your phases between treatments." Kakyuu continued.
"Sounds good." Haruka smiled.
"I have not figured out the side effects of it yet and because your recovery periods have grown longer we can't trial them yet." Kakyuu explicated.
"Hmmm." Haruka nodded.
"Your recovery has always been abnormally fast; so how does it feel to have a relatively normal rate at the moment?" Kakyuu mocked the blonde.
"It sucks" Haruka smirked.
"I will inject you with a booster after the treatment. It should aid your recovery but you are not allowed any excitement within the first six hours after injection. It would bring adverse reactions to your heart. Do you hear me Haruka?" Kakyuu asked stern.
"Yes, I hear you loud and clear. What does the machine say? How long will it take this time?" Haruka asked as she looked up to catch a glimpse of the display.
Kakyuu looked at the display of the dialysis machine. "Five hours maybe six, minimum, optimal would be eight." Kakyuu informed the blonde.
"That will cut it too close to take Hotaru to Kindergarten." Haruka said pensively.
"I will take her on the way to the hospital. I still need to turn up there from time to time anyway." Kakyuu said easily.
"Thank you." Haruka's eyes were getting heavy and the steady humming of the machines were making her sleepy.
"Sleep well." Kakyuu smiled gently.
The last thing Haruka remembered was Kakyuu's soft customary kiss on the forehead and her gentle caress through Haruka's hair.
-Kakyuu-
Kakyuu was getting Hotaru ready for Kindergarten.
The little girl was obviously unhappy about the absence of her blonde caretaker but still kept an aloof façade about it.
They were nearly ready when Taiki entered the apartment with two bento boxes in hand.
"Good morning Kakyuu-sensei, Hotaru-chan." Taiki greeted them.
"Good morning Taiki-jii" Hotaru said a little sullen.
"Good morning Taiki, what do you have there?" Kakyuu asked.
"Hotaru's bento and ...yours if you want it." Taiki was cute when he was shy, Kakyuu thought to herself.
"Of course I do, that was very considerate of you." Kakyuu responded and took her bento.
"Thank you Taiki-ji" Hotaru joined and obediently took her bento and put it in her backpack.
Taiki knelled down to Hotaru. "What's wrong Hotaru-chan? Why so sad?"
"Haruka-papa isn't going to take me to Kindergarten. Don't get me wrong, I like you Kakyuu-nee, but Haruka-papa drives faster." Hotaru pouted.
They all knew that that wasn't the reason why the little girl was upset, but let it slide.
"How about we go down to the clinic and ask her if she will come and pick you up after? I need to give her some medicine before we go, anyway." Kakyuu suggested.
Hotaru nodded excitedly and rushed to put on her shoes.
Downstairs in the clinic, Haruka was still in bed while discussing something with Seiya and Yaten when they got there.
The moment Taiki opened the door, the discussion was put on hold and Haruka turned to Hotaru.
"What are you doing here Hime-chan?" She asked the little girl who climbed onto her bed.
"I just wanted to ask if you come and pick me up from Kindergarten later." The little girl asked.
"Of course I will." Haruka assured her with a smile.
"Did you have a headache again?" Hotaru asked concerned.
"Just a little one." Haruka smiled.
"Why didn't you wake me up? I could have hugged you." Hotaru reminded Haruka.
"You need your sleep so you have energy for Kindergarten." Haruka interjected.
"I don't mind." Hotaru insisted.
"How about you give me a hug now and I won't get a headache all day." Haruka suggested.
"Ok" Hotaru hugged Haruka tight. "Don't be late." Hotaru reminded the blonde.
"I won't be." Haruka reassured the little girl.
Kakyuu prepared Haruka's booster shot in the meantime and once Hotaru was safely on the floor again, injected Haruka with it.
"No increased heart rate for the next six hours." Kakyuu reminded her sternly.
"Aye, aye ma'am." Haruka grinned. "By the way, Seiya will be driving you to the clinic and Taiki will be picking you up from the hospital." Haruka informed the red haired doctor and Kakyuu nodded understandingly.
"You do remember though that I did go through training back in the days as well, right?" Kakyuu said as she disposed of the syringe.
"The day you beat Seiya in one to one combat, from that day onward you may travel on your own again when there is a colour code alert. Till then, one of the boys will be by your side till this issue has passed." Haruka said evenly.
"WHY BEAT ME?" Seiya interjected.
"I can't let Yaten get hurt, I still need him to take care of the entire system here and Taiki would either just go easy on her or die in the process of not letting her pass." Haruka chuckled at the appalled expression on Seiya's face.
"That's ok Seiya-ji, when you get hurt, I will put bunny plasters on you." Hotaru tried to comfort Seiya.
-Michiru-
Michiru was working out on the training course at the IIA complex. She decided to work off her obligatory time that the agency required of her, since Haruka had messaged her early in the morning that they would meet later than they had agreed on the day before. Sweat drenched and breathing hard she got off the last machine and walked to the vending machine, just to find Setsuna standing right next to it and passing her a bottle of water.
"You are positively glowing. I take it you met Tenoh… again." Setsuna smirked.
"We have just finally started working on the assignment." Michiru explained.
"So, how far have you gotten?" Setsuna asked as she sat down on the bench nearby and beckoned Michiru to join her.
"Basic threat analysis." Michiru said as she sat down next Setsuna and opened the water.
"Fair enough. That's a lot of data to go through" Setsuna noted.
"Indeed" Michiru started to drink while watching Setsuna pulling something out of her bag.
"You might want to keep an eye on this as well." Setsuna commented as she passed Michiru a picture.
"And here I thought this was a social call." Michiru said as she looked at the picture of solid looking dark haired man with a fair amount of facial hair standing at the airport custom checks.
"Caiden Warwick has just entered the country this morning under the name Charles Alger." Setsuna explained.
Michiru sighed. "Do we know what he wants?"
"Not yet. More importantly, I think this is of more importance to you. Dave Bennet has arrived with him." Setsuna pointed out an athletic brunette further in the back of the picture.
Michiru frowned: "Capture or kill?"
-Haruka-
Haruka watched Michiru walking observantly along the beach in front of her beach house. As Michiru turned around, apparently satisfied with the privacy the area provided and approached her, Haruka appreciated the wind flowing through the smaller woman's summer dress, caressing those seductive curves.
"You are taking your undercover attire pretty serious, huh?" Haruka commented as Michiru got closer.
"Are you trying to say that I overdid it?" Michiru said evenly.
"By no means. If anything, I am complimenting you on your superb choice." Haruka grinned with her hands in her pockets. "You weren't that concerned about privacy yesterday when we were busy in the living room right across the floor to ceiling windows." Haruka remarked.
"Well, it wasn't really planned to get that busy." Michiru said nonchalant.
"Well let's get back inside and be busy some more…" Haruka suggested and Michiru raised her eyebrow. "….with work." Haruka assured her while chuckling.
They walked back to the house where Haruka sat down on the couch again and pressed a button under the coffee table.
Its whole surface changed and lit up.
"You could have told me that you were wired up here." Michiru noted.
"I believe I did try between the third and fourth round yesterday, but you didn't seem particular interested." Haruka snickered. "Anyway, these are all the registered security people of each of the people attending." Haruka pulled up 180 files. "Most are familiar with my procedures, but I am sure you want to double check their backgrounds." Haruka continued her explanations. "And these are the 60 that are going to be taking care of the inner security. I am going to provide four of my best people to aid you in your endeavour and recommend you to at least take on four people to help you with the security coordination as well."
"And what will you be doing?" Michiru asked.
"Me? I am only being paid to consult you. I'll be on the premises, but more as a tourist, just in case if anything goes wrong, but I will hold no active role in the security in general." Haruka said calm. "To aid the process of acquainting your agents with my people and to attune their performances, I will provide temporary shelter in my Tenoh tower, once we have decided on a venue for the meeting. There we can do real life simulations and worst case scenario practices."
Michiru listened attentively and thought through every suggestion Haruka made without saying a word.
"Why won't we be holding the training in the IIA headquarters here instead?" Michiru finally interjected.
"Because, I do not trust the entire agency and because your equipment is not as advanced as ours. It is a simple numbers game. The more people know about it, the more information leakage is possible. My people are tight with me. Can you say the same about the entire agency for you?" Haruka asked rhetorically.
"Fair enough." Michiru nodded in agreement.
"Great, choose your four agents that are closest to you, let me know who you are taking and we all should have dinner together soon to get acquainted before we start training." Haruka grinned wide.
"We should discuss locations as well while we are at it." Michiru suggested.
"I have chosen four possible locations on the Boso Peninsula. This gives us good escape routes in case of termination by air and sea, since the access with helicopters and Narita airport is easy and it is also easy to leave by the sea as well. They all is still have good road connections if anyone wants to retreat that way. Have a good look through them before you decide on two. The actual venue will be decided closer to the date." Haruka gave her a chip on which all the data was stored.
"Sounds good. I will let you know about my choices in two days." Michiru told her thoughtfully.
-Hotaru-
When it was time to go home, Hotaru noticed that Haruka was in the office with the principal of the Kindergarten. She went to put on her jacket and changed her shoes before she waited for Haruka patiently at the entrance of the Kindergarten.
"Hey Hime-chan. You are fast today." Haruka said as she took hold of Hotaru's hand.
"Ne, Haruka-papa, what were you doing in the principal's office? Did I get you get into trouble?" Hotaru asked concerned.
"Well, did you do something wrong?" Haruka asked in return.
"No…" Hotaru answered hesitantly.
"Well then there is nothing to worry about. I was just asking her if it would be ok for you to stay home with me and your uncles for the rest of the week. Would you like that Hime-chan? Sleeping in and having fun with us for a couple of days?" Haruka asked.
"Yes!" Hotaru beamed.
"Great." Haruka chuckled.
When they reached Haruka's apartment, Hotaru got changed and ready for dinner.
"Hey Hotaru, have you showed your mum all your paintings today yet?" Haruka asked from the couch.
"Not yet. Do we still have time for that before dinner?" Hotaru asked as she pulled a fresh shirt over her head.
"Yes, we do." Haruka told her.
"Great, let me grab them first and we can go up together." Hotaru went to her bag and pulled out several sheets of paper.
Haruka took her by the hand and they walked upstairs to the mezzanine.
Haruka watched Hotaru tell her mum all about the pictures she drew and hung them up on the wall opposite to the Butsudan.
When Hotaru was sitting on the floor in front of the Butsudan again Haruka sat down next to her.
"Hime-chan, I got something for you." Haruka pulled out the little box Yaten gave her the day before.
"What is it Haruka-papa?" Hotaru eyed the box curiously.
Haruka took out a necklace with a small kitten pendant on it and showed it to Hotaru.
"Do you like it?" Haruka asked her.
"Very much." Hotaru beamed.
"This kitten will protect you. If you are ever in trouble, I am talking about life and death situation, not running out of candy emergencies, you can pull the tail of the cat and it will give me the signal on where you are and that you are in trouble and I come and get you. OK?" Haruka explained.
"Ok." Hotaru agreed as Haruka put the necklace around her neck.
"You can also use the elevator with it as well. So, if you want to go anywhere in here, even visiting the clinic or raiding Seiya's candy vault, you only have to touch the black panel with it and press the button to where you want to go. Also, if bad people come, remember the safe room? If you tap your kitten twice, it will take you there automatically. It is a very important necklace, so no showing it to anyone, promise? It is our little secret ok?" Haruka continued.
"Of course. It is our secret." Hotaru tugged the kitten under her shirt.
"Great, want to know something even cooler?" Haruka said secretively.
"Sure!" Hotaru replied intrigued.
Haruka moved to the right of the Butsudan and beckoned Hotaru to come closer.
"Do you see this little black square?" Haruka pointed out a little black square in the right hand corner of the power outlet next to the Butsudan. "Try holding your kitten close to it."
Hotaru did as she was told and suddenly a panel in the wall next to it opened quietly, revealing small path out of the room.
"Want to go on an adventure with me?" Haruka winked.
-Haruka-
The next day, Haruka was sitting on the bed of a small and poorly lit apartment awaiting patiently for the current occupant to return. Soon she could hear a key being inserted into the main door and it being unlocked. Sitting up straighter she waited for Caiden to step in and close the door behind him before she moved out of the shadow that she sat in.
"I would love to say, welcome to Japan Caiden, or do you prefer Charles? But as far as I know, you weren't invited." Haruka spoke evenly.
Caiden turned around slowly. "I didn't think I would need your invitation to come and visit Japan, Tenoh." He responded in the same even tone.
"This is a courtesy visit. One professional to the another. You are always welcome to just visit if you state your purpose well before hand. As a citizen of this pacifist country though, I'd like to remind you that it is against the law to carry any form of weaponry on you. That includes this high precision rifle." Haruka held it up in with her black leather gloves. "I am going to make it short. I still have places to be and things to do. I am sure you are just as busy as me. Why are you here?" Haruka's eyes pinned him to the spot and left him no space to move.
"You won't believe me anyway." Caiden said bitterly.
"So, you are not going to tell me? Too bad then. Seiya, please aim for his head instead of his heart. I want a quick death, there is no need for him to suffer." The cold in Haruka's voice let the blood in his veins freeze and Caiden looked down on himself watching a small red laser dot moving further up on him.
"WAIT!" he exclaimed.
"Want to tell me this unbelievable tale after all?" Haruka smirked.
"I am here for a friend. He is looking for his brother." Caiden started to explain.
"And why would the case of a missing person need so much ammunition to be fixed?" Haruka kicked open a box on the ground, revealing several small fire arms and grenades.
"My friend believes that his brother got kidnapped by someone here who is extremely dangerous." Caiden continued.
"Uh huh, and whom?" Haruka asked unmoved.
"He doesn't know." Caiden admitted quietly.
"So how does he know then that they are dangerous and even from Japan?" Haruka asked sceptically.
"His brother just suddenly disappeared one day with no trace left behind and he wasn't a small man. Days leading up to his disappearance he kept visiting the Tate Modern and the last person his brother spoke to was an artist who spoke fluent Japanese." Caiden proceeded to explain.
"Many people speak fluent Japanese and are artists. Even if they are from Japan, you could have just called me and I could have arranged the necessary information for you before you arrived. As a matter of fact, I would have gotten that brother of his back, if he is still alive and even here, for the right price, of course. How much are you getting paid to take care of this issue for your 'friend'?" Haruka continued her interrogation.
"Nothing." Caiden said quietly.
"You are seriously asking me to believe that the great Warwick of the North, known blood thirsty hound of the Conglomerate in London, does something for someone for free?" Haruka asked sceptically.
"I …you … I told you, you wouldn't understand." The usually proud man replied feebly.
"Well, right now I can only see a mumbling mess. Pull yourself together Warwick. What made the fearless man I used to know and respect become the tiny mouse which is mumbling in front of me?" Haruka asked frustrated.
"I never felt like this before, all I really want is to make him happy." Caiden explained.
"Whom?" Haruka asked curt.
"Dave" Caiden simply answered.
"Your new toy?" Haruka raised an eyebrow.
"He is different." Caiden insisted.
Haruka rolled her eyes. "Do you know how much trouble you are causing me by being so careless?"
"I don't even want to imagine it." Caiden admitted quietly.
"Do your masters know that you are here?" Haruka sighed.
"No." Caiden got even quieter.
"Great. Pack your stuff up and get out. By this time tomorrow I want you to be on a plane back to London." Haruka frowned.
"I can't." Caiden pleaded.
"Why not?" Haruka asked harshly.
"Dave has gone missing." Caiden turned his face away.
"Are you for real…..?" Haruka groaned.
Suddenly there was a phone call.
-Michiru-
It was midmorning when Michiru was sitting quietly at a café. She had noticed someone following her since she had left the gallery in which some of her art was being exhibited.
She quietly drank her tea and pretended to read a magazine while her pursuer seemed to be agitatedly waiting for his phone call to be answered. Frustrated he eventually hung up.
Dave Bennet was very persistent in tracking her, sighing, she finished her tea and walked purposely into a small quiet alley.
If she were him, she would have turned around by now, since this was just too good of an opportunity that it definitely had to be a trap. As arranged with Setsuna she would not kill him…yet…if he would attack. She walked relatively slowly, giving him a chance to catch up.
And then there it was.
"Found you." The tall man behind her spoke menacingly.
-Yaten-
Yaten was staring at the scene unfolding on his screen half mesmerised, half horrified.
The fight was vicious and yet so elegant. The man was attacking Michiru nonstop and yet she evaded him fluidly, striking him over and over again with such a force and in places that made Yaten cringe with empathetic pain.
"What are you watching Yaten?" Taiki asked him as he came into Yaten's office.
Yaten just pointed at the screen on which Michiru was 'dealing' with her pursuer.
"Oh, wow." Taiki said slightly stunned as he saw her kicking the tall brunette up his chin.
"Remind me to never piss her off." Yaten said without averting his eyes from the fight.
Michiru landed another kick in the nether region and both men instinctively reached between their legs, wincing.
"And we will be working with her?" Yaten asked Taiki.
"That's the plan." Taiki confirmed apprehensively.
Suddenly Yaten's phone rang.
"Hello Haruka-nee" Yaten answered the phone.
"I need you to track down someone." Haruka told him.
"Yea…, name? number?" Yaten asked.
"Dave Bennet, I sent you the details and his picture." Haruka stated evenly.
"Wait, is he a tall brunette? Athletic?" Yaten asked as he compared the picture with the scene that played out on his computer screen.
"Yea." Haruka confirmed.
"You might want to ask Kakashi about that….." Yaten suggested.
"Oh, great." Haruka sighed.
-Haruka-
Haruka hung up the phone and looked down at the half sobbing man in front of her.
"Warwick, I have a good news and bad news. Which ones do you want to hear first." Haruka asked the sniffling man.
"The bad one." Caiden snivelled.
"I have located your boyfriend" Haruka stated evenly.
"That is good isn't it?" Caiden asked.
"He is with the authorities here." Haruka sighed.
"So, I can just bail him out and we can go home, right?" Caiden asked hope filled.
"That's not the kind of authority I am talking about." Haruka sighed
Haruka took out a chip pen and stabbed Caiden's neck with it.
"OUCH!" Caiden protested.
"It's for your own good. I just implanted a microchip with which I'll be tracking you. So, don't screw up. It tracks your heartbeat and your whereabouts 24 hours a day for the next two weeks, afterwards it will dissolve by itself. I will always know where you are and what you are up to. If you are sleeping or having sex. So, sit tight and don't overshare your feelings and activities with anyone other than me. If you want to see him alive and … not too badly mutilated, you will stay here, not leave the apartment unless you need food and not call anyone. Got that?" Haruka instructed him stern.
"Understood." Caiden rubbed his neck sourly.
"If you remove that or leave the three kilometre radius I am giving you, I let your Dave rot in the hell he is being moved to." Haruka said coldly.
"Understood." Caiden nodded.
Haruka walked towards the door but before she could exit, Caiden spoke up again.
"Thanks, Tenoh." Caiden said it quietly but still sincere.
"Don't thank me yet." Haruka shrugged.
Outside of the apartment Haruka cringed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
'People in love are so stupid it hurts' she thought to herself.
"What now Haruka?" Seiya asked through the communicator in her ear as she walked down the stairs.
"We're going home. Whatever Kakashi wants, won't be finished today. I have let Hotaru alone long enough for today. I will drop him another message to not kill Bennet, if that is possible." Haruka sighed.
-Michiru-
Michiru was watching Bennet being moved into the interrogation room in E17.
"Do you want to do it or should I?" Setsuna asked her.
"He is after me after all. No need for you to get involved." Michiru assured her.
Michiru put a lab coat on, put her hair up and put some safety glasses on before she walked into the interrogation.
With a small recording device and a clip board in hand she walked up to Bennet and looked at the strapped down man coldly.
"Subject 142 seems to be responsive." She spoke into the recorder unmoved.
"Hey, let me go!" Bennet screamed.
Michiru just ignored the outburst and went over all the restraints and made particularly sure the one around his neck was tight, so that he couldn't move his head.
"Proceeding with test 323, injection of compound x72" Michiru spoke evenly into the recording device
"What are you doing to me?" Bennet asked panicked.
"You have no value to me as source since you are not talking about why you are really here and we both know it isn't your brother you came for. You killed him and you persuaded Caiden Warwick that it was me who kidnapped him so that he would smuggle you into the country to get your brother back. We both know that you can't raise people from the dead. If you came here to get his research back from me that is very unlikely to be of any value to you because you know that you actually killed your brother before he could finish his research and you do know it was pretty useless at the stage your brother had to leave it. But you probably also knew that we wouldn't just let your brother's hard work go to waste. So lucky for me, you can even contribute to your brother's research as human guinea pig. We have continued your brother's work and advanced quite a bit. I have always wondered what you forced him to create." Michiru filled a syringe with a clear liquid of a small vile. "Good news is, the last two in your position didn't last long. Bad news, it looked pretty painful towards the end." Michiru commented coolly.
Bennet's eyes grew wider. "WAIT! WAIT! I tell you whatever you want." He tried to stop her from injecting him.
"I want the truth." Michiru said evenly.
"Someone posted a reward for a hit on you." Bennet quickly divulged.
"Why me?" Michiru asked unimpressed.
"I don't know. I didn't care. It is a 10 Million Pounds pay-out. I don't ask questions if the pay is 10 Million with the only condition being a confirmed kill." Bennet admitted.
"Why wouldn't Warwick do it? He is definitely more qualified than you." Michiru asked sceptically.
"He works for the Conglomerate; it would cause them problems. Conflict of interests." Bennet explained.
"Why?" Michiru continued the interrogation unconvinced by Bennet's statements.
"Because you are a Kaioh. No one touches a Kaioh." Bennet spat frustrated.
-Seiya-
Haruka drove them quietly home.
"Are you sure it was a good idea to leave him there?" Seiya asked her as she turned into their street.
"I did message Myamoto-san, he broke the rules of the underworld by coming without giving them prior notice. If he stays within the bounds I gave him, he might survive. If he leaves it, no one will save him. Maybe it is better for him that way. If he finds out the truth, it might break him more than the knife to his back that he will receive when he gets out of here unscathed by the Conglomerate. A dog is only useful when he's loyal, the Conglomerate won't look too kindly on this." Haruka explained evenly.
"Why is he so reckless?" Seiya wondered aloud.
"Love makes you stupid. Craving unattainable love makes you even more stupid and easy to manipulate." Haruka stated evenly and detached.
They were finally back and Haruka pulled into the designated parking spot. Just as they got out of the car, they suddenly could hear small quiet steps approaching Haruka from behind. Seiya was about to turn around, but Haruka shook her head.
"BOOH" Hotaru shouted!
"OOOOH, you scared me Hime-chan." Haruka chuckled as she turned around and picked up the little girl. "Did you find all the secret paths?" She asked the little girl.
"I think almost." Hotaru grinned.
"That's very good. Will you show me your discoveries later?" Haruka asked before she kissed Hotaru on the forehead.
"Of course." Hotaru beamed proudly.
"Do you know the way from here up to the apartment?" Haruka looked at Hotaru challenging.
"I do." Hotaru nodded confidently.
"Want to race me there? Winner gets double dessert." Haruka suggested.
"Let me down and say goodbye to your dessert Haruka-papa" Hotaru laughed.
Haruka let Hotaru down again and they watched the little girl disappear between the cars.
"There is no way she will beat you." Seiya noted.
"I am passing by the clinic for another booster shot." Haruka said quietly.
-Michiru-
Michiru was soaking in the bathtub, the water had long gone cold, but she didn't feel like leaving the only element that gave her comfort at the moment.
She closed her eyes again, thinking back over all the information she had extracted from Dave Bennet. It didn't make sense that anyone would want her dead, besides the usual grudges that were just a part of her occupational hazard list. She went through every single person and organisation that would want her dead with the technical savvy and the money to spare to call a hit on her of that calibre and none matched up.
'Because you are a Kaioh. No one touches a Kaioh' Bennet's words came back haunting her.
She had worked hard to get where she was, nothing was a gift. She didn't come from agent royalty like Haruka did and therefore never received preferential treatment. She had worked hard for her reputation that kept the lower level threats at bay by the level of notoriety it carried. Though she doubted that Haruka ever received any advantages in assessments due to her lineage either, if anything she was even more scrutinised for being a Tenoh.
From what she learned from her father, her great grandfather had been quite the force in law enforcement himself, but her grandfather had decided against that path later in his life and founded Umi-Inc. to focus his efforts in more legitimate ways of providing safety and prosperity to his family. Her grandmother never talked about what her grandfather used to do and always shrugged and said that he worked hard in a men's world for mankind.
Frustrated Michiru got up and left the bathtub.
This was not the time to worry about the unknown. She had told Haruka, she would make up her mind about the location and her choice of agents by tomorrow and she still hadn't decided. Slowly warming up in her bathrobe, she sat down at her desk and turned on her laptop to pull up the files Haruka had compiled for her in regards of the possible locations.
All were onsens, shadow managed by the Myamoto-clan, which ensured a great deal of privacy. Suddenly her phone got a message.
'Why are you still up ojou-sama?' Haruka had written to her.
'How did you know that I was still up?' Michiru replied.
'I didn't. But now I do.' Was Haruka's reply. Michiru could imagine that insolent grin on Haruka's face as she typed those words.
'Unlike you, some people have to do work, even late into the night.' Michiru sent in return.
'Well, I did all I had to already. Can't be helped that right now all I can do is to twiddle my thumbs, awaiting your decision.' Was Haruka's response.
'Really? You have nothing better to do than twiddling your thumbs at two in the morning?' Michiru asked her incredulously.
' It takes a fair bit of exercise to twiddle them as well as I do. I remember you liking the twiddling of my thumbs a fair bit.' Haruka wrote and Michiru couldn't help but chuckle.
Michiru could nearly see and hear the trademark smirk in the words Haruka wrote.
'Rest is important to keep that performance up, so, shouldn't you be sleeping tight right now to conserve energy?' Michiru sent a bit faster than intended.
'Will I need to perform later today?' Haruka wasn't any slower as it seemed.
'Maybe.' Michiru chuckled as she sent off her message.
'Consider me deep asleep then and don't sleep too late yourself. It takes two to tango.' Haruka sent in return.
Michiru couldn't help but smile as she read Haruka's reply and wondered how carefree a person was allowed to be.
-Haruka-
Haruka was sitting with Hotaru in the kitchen, having breakfast, when her phone rang.
"How may I be to your service ojou-sama." Haruka answered the phone with a chuckle.
"You may start your preparations for the training." Michiru responded amused and Haruka could hear the smile in her voice.
"Whom will I be preparing the sleeping quarters for?" Haruka asked curiously.
"Aino-san, Hino-san, Kino-san, Mizuno-sensei and me." Michiru informed the blonde.
"Understood. Any requests for dinner?" Haruka continued to ask.
"I trust your judgement with that." Michiru snickered.
"Oh, you have such confidence in me. I am flattered ojou-sama. Please leave all your luggage in Kakashi's car and come to the restaurant of which I will send you the address of." Haruka instructed Michiru.
"We will be there on time so don't be late." Michiru reminded Haruka.
"Never" Haruka chuckled before Michiru bid her farewell and hung up.
Another call was on the coming through.
"What's up old man?" Haruka greeted Kakashi,
"Pick up your package and make sure it is sent off properly." Kakashi's voice came from the other end evenly.
"Understood." Haruka replied promptly.
Haruka hung up again and watched Hotaru finishing her breakfast.
"Hime-chan, we will have some guest coming for the next couple of weeks." Haruka informed the little girl.
"Oh? Who is coming Haruka-papa?" Hotaru asked curiously.
"Remember Minako and Makoto?" Haruka asked.
"Yes." Hotaru nodded
"They are coming and will be bringing some of their friends as well." Haruka continued.
"Oh cool" Hotaru was excited.
"No telling them or showing them our secret kitten paths, ok?" Haruka reminded Hotaru.
"My lips are sealed." Hotaru did the zip motion over her lips.
"Great. How about I take you down to Yaten and you two can play together for a bit while I run some errands for Kakashi-jii?" Haruka suggested.
"Can we watch Frozen again?" Hotaru asked.
"Sure, you can. You can even sing along all you want." Haruka smirked, knowing very well how Yaten loathed that movie.
"Awesome." Hotaru wiggled enthusiastic on her seat.
Hotaru finished her breakfast and got ready to go down to Yaten with the movie ready in her hand.
-Seiya-
Seiya drove quietly towards Narita International Airport.
"I am sorry I couldn't get him back before the memory wipe Caiden." Haruka spoke to the silent man beside her who looked sadly onto the unconscious man in the passenger seat next to Seiya in front of them.
"There was nothing you could have done." Warwick said resigned.
"Did you know he killed his brother?" Haruka asked him evenly.
"I had a hunch." Warwick admitted.
"So why did you bring him here?" Haruka asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I wanted to believe him." Warwick sorrow clearly resonating in his voice.
Haruka sighed.
"I called Kingston for you already, telling him that this was all a very unfortunate misunderstanding, so I believe you should be ok when you get back." She told him
"Why are you helping me Tenoh?" Warwick asked wearily.
"I prefer the devil I know than the devil I don't. Who knows who will get your spot in the Conglomerate when you are gone. You have done a very good job for decades and I respect your work ethics. Also, now you owe me. So why wouldn't I help you?" Haruka stated evenly.
They arrived and got out of the car.
Warwick lifted Bennet into the wheelchair that Haruka held ready for him and Seiya locked the car.
They walked into the airport with Seiya pulling Warwick's luggage.
"Have a good flight. He will not remember a thing when he wakes up. Maybe you can help him to become a better person then. One that actually loves you. You deserve it." Haruka patted Caiden's back and he nodded gratefully.
-Michiru-
All five of them stood in front of a small and old Izakaya. Yamaguchi's, was written in bold letters on a board that had seen better days maybe decades ago but it was clean nonetheless. A small plaque denoted the owner to be Atsuko Yamaguchi.
A small old lady came out and welcomed them in.
"Welcome, come in, come in. You must be Haruka-chan's friends." Atsuko Yamaguchi greeted them.
All five women were led pass many different people, sitting cramped at small tables enjoying various dishes with a good amount of beer and sake, into a small private tatami room in the back of the store.
Haruka was already sitting there with Hotaru on her lap and three men sitting to her right.
"Welcome" Haruka said grinning and remained seated while the three men stood up and bowed.
"Please make yourself comfortable." The tall brunette told them as he indicated to the seats opposite to them.
"Thank you for having us." Michiru replied graciously and all five bowed in return.
Once their shoes were off and everyone sat down Haruka passed each of them a hot towel to clean their hands with.
"I thought you would bring four people on your side." Michiru noted, looking at Haruka.
"Oh, I have; you are my secret weapon aren't you Hotaru-chan?" Haruka grinned and rested her head on Hotaru's.
"I am." Hotaru grinned broadly back.
Ami looked puzzled while Makoto and Minako just chuckled.
"But before we start, let me introduce us. All of you probably know me so let's move onto the more important people you need to know. The guy right next to me is Yaten, then comes Seiya and the serious brunette there at the other end is Taiki. These are the only survivors of the black training program." Haruka grinned as she introduced them.
Hotaru tugged on Haruka's shirt. "Oh, right and this here is Hotaru-chan who keeps on surviving us." Haruka added.
Michiru shook her head but introduced the girls in return nonetheless: "Over there, opposite to Taiki, is Minako, then comes Rei, Makoto, this is Ami and I am Michiru."
"Great. I believe Michiru has explained to you all the conditions necessary for you to attend this special training program to be part of the assignment you have signed up for. So now that we all know each other's names, I do need to ask you all for your hands." Haruka continued and Yaten took out a hand scanner.
"Fingerprints aren't very safe measures for identification…." Ami interjected.
"I agree Mizuno-sensei that is why we are scanning your blood vessels in both of your hands and use that map for identification as additional security to your palm scans." Haruka explained and Ami nodded approvingly.
All women obliged and gave Yaten their hands to be scanned.
"Wonderful. Now that you all have signed over your souls, please follow me to the hell you have agreed up on. Oh, and please do not forget to pick up your shoes." Haruka joked as she got up, picked up Hotaru and went to the back panel of the room before she pressed the pillar to her left with the palm of her hand.
There was a humming sound and a pathway opened before Haruka went through it. Taiki stood up, indicating for everyone to go ahead so that he could close the path behind them.
-Haruka-
Haruka led the group through a deep tunnel to a small railway.
"Please sit as close together as possible. We usually do not have this many guests, so it will be a tight fit. Don't worry, it will be a very short ride." She explained as she entered the cart in the front and Taiki took charge of the second cart behind it. Michiru followed Haruka with Hotaru, Yaten and Ami, while the rest joined in Taiki's cart.
Once all were sitting securely, Haruka hit the switch and they drove swiftly through the dim lit tunnel.
Mere minutes later they arrived at the second underground parking level of the Tenoh-tower where Kakashi had dropped off the luggage.
"Can we do that again tomorrow Haruka-papa?" Hotaru asked excitedly.
"If you are good, you can go and pick up lunch with Taiki tomorrow." Haruka told the little girl as she carried her off the cart and handed her over to Taiki.
"Hotaru-chan, please go ahead with your uncles to help with dinner. Ok?" Haruka instructed Hotaru.
"Ok, Haruka-papa" Hotaru agreed and went with the three men into a waiting elevator.
Haruka went to the neatly stacked luggage and began to speak again: "Since it is still a bit early for dinner, we thought you might want to settle in your rooms first. If you could please follow me with your luggage." Haruka signalled as she went to the big elevator in the middle.
When everyone was inside Haruka placed her palm on a black panel and activated the all the elevator buttons.
"When you hold your hand against this panel, the lights will indicate which levels you are eligible to access. Yaten is going to put your hands into the system before dinner so that you will have access to all the levels that will be relevant to you." Haruka explained. "Please press the buttons firmly because each button has a scanner as well to verify access permissions." Haruka continued to explain.
Haruka pressed the button to the guest quarters and the elevator moved swiftly to the requested floor.
"Each of you has her own spacious room with your own bathroom. I trust that all of you can decide on your own who is getting which room specifically. If there is anything else you might need, please do not hesitate to tell one of the boys or me what you need and we will see to it. Cleaning robots take care of the housekeeping regularly so please relax when you get the time off to rest and do not leave anything important lying around on the floor. Any questions?" Haruka asked as she walked through the spacious hallway between the rooms and all girls shook their heads.
"Great. I will pick you up in half an hour to give you time to settle in." She said before she left them again to their own devices.
-Michiru-
The rooms were truly spacious with a wonderful view over Tokyo, even the bathrooms were generous for Japanese standards with plenty space to move around and full size back lit mirrors.
As promised, Haruka was back half an hour later to take them up to communal floor.
"We have our private offices here on the East side, the communal area is in the West. You are always welcome to use it in your free time to cook or relax." Haruka explained as they passed through the door that opened to a spacious communal area with a bar and a billiard table to their right, an open kitchen and dining area to their left and a large entertainment are in the back.
"Behind that door up ahead is the viewing area with a big screen, consoles and other entertainment media, karaoke included, that it is why it is sound proofed." Haruka said grinning and pointing at the room with the glass panels.
Taiki and Seiya had just finished setting the table for them as Hotaru ran up to Haruka.
"Haruka-papa, Haruka-papa, Kakyuu-nee made her famous crème Brule!" The little girl said excitedly as she tugged on Haruka's pants.
"Well, ladies, I believe the food is ready so please join us for a relaxed dinner. We will start with the serious business tomorrow. For tonight let's just enjoy ourselves." Haruka said as she led them to the table.
Haruka introduced them to her last team member, Kakyuu, their doctor, before they started to eat.
The dinner started off a bit stiff and only Haruka and Hotaru seemed to be oblivious to the tense atmosphere around them. Though all of that soon changed once Hotaru broke out in a top performance of her favourite song from her current favourite movie, to Yaten's dismay and Minako's delight. They soon all engaged in relaxed conversations about Yamaguchi's good food, who had graciously prepared the meal for them and then moved onto politics and eventually current events. With enough beer and spirits, they even made plans for karaoke after dinner.
Soon the food was finished and everyone started to help to clean up. Hotaru had meanwhile fallen asleep on Haruka's lap and she picked up the little girl to take her to bed.
"I come and help you." Michiru offered and Haruka just nodded as she walked towards the elevator.
Once in Haruka's apartment, the blonde woke up the little girl, so she could brush her teeth in her half asleep state and change her clothes. When Hotaru was back asleep and tugged in Haruka's big king size bed, Haruka turned on a small night lamp for Hotaru before they moved to the couch.
"You didn't think I would really take a toddler to a full blown Izakaya, did you?" Haruka teased as they sat down for a bit rest.
"With you as custodian, I wouldn't be surprised if she had already sky dived and wrestled with bears." Michiru chuckled.
"Do you know hard it is to find bears in her weight class? Trust me I've tried, but then I realised it would be unfair for the bears. Hotaru would totally kick their butt." Haruka joked and Michiru couldn't help but laugh.
"You have no walls on your floor." Michiru noted as she looked around.
"The 360-degree view is important to me. When you live alone, walls can feel very constraining." Haruka explained. "This way I can see all that is surrounding me. Come, I take on a quick tour of my place." Haruka stood up and took Michiru's hand. "Well, you have seen my bathroom already and that was the living and sleeping area. I thought that I might put Hotaru's bed here in the east, so she gets most of the sun rise and when she is old enough she can use one of the apartments below to have some privacy from me." Haruka chuckled. "This is the kitchen as you can see, the glass walls help keeping the cooking smells away from the rest of the apartment. This is where Hotaru and I usually have breakfast." Haruka pointed at the kitchen's high counter. They moved onto a big computer set up that Haruka identified as private work station and eventually moved to the southwest corner of the apartment. "Anyway, as you can see this is the best spot where you can watch the sun set and behind there, you can see Fuji-san on good days." Haruka pointed to the window next to a baby grand piano.
"Do you play Haruka?" Michiru asked as she caressed over the sleek surface of the closed piano.
"I'm not particular good at it. It was mainly Haruto's hobby." Haruka said pensively. "Anyway, we have a big pool and sento floor just below mine. We mainly use it for diving exercises, but you are always welcome to take a dip when you feel like it." Haruka tried to deflect.
Michiru nodded appreciatively and let her eyes wander around the apartment some more. She noticed a stair case behind Haruka's walk in closet.
"What is up there?" Michiru asked curiously.
"My family." Haruka replied and Michiru could not help but think of Ayumi's words, which the blonde must have spotted. " In case you are still wondering, yes, I did kill my brother." Haruka said evenly and detached. "Just so that we have that out of the way."
"Why did you do it?" Michiru asked quietly.
"Because he asked me to." Was Haruka's simple reply.
The way Haruka looked at her, Michiru knew she didn't manage to hide her surprise and shock as well as she would have liked to have done.
"We should get back to the others." Haruka just said calmly as she turned around and walked towards the elevators.
