-Yaten-

He had just returned to the operating theatre and quickly put on a fresh set of scrubs and washed his hands to assist Kakyuu with the surgery and finding the source of Haruka's internal bleeding.

"Oh come on Haruka, show me where it hurts and I fix it for you. You know I do that every time for you, just stay strong for me blondie." Kakyuu spoke with the unconscious Haruka as she sought in the other's abdomen for the leak. "Yaten, do you have good news?" She addressed him shortly but his hesitation made her wave off his need to reply. "You know Ruka-chan, we are not giving up on you as you have never given up on us. So, don't you dare to walk towards that light. I promise to make you a lifetime supply of Crème Brulee anytime you want, just hang in there for me. You know we can get through this. We have been through a lot and this is just another test." Kakyuu spoke reassuringly as she stitched another ruptured vessel, but Haruka's blood pressure kept on dropping.

Yaten wiped the sweat off her forehead and passed her another needle, already threaded.

"You know Haruka, every time when you tell me that you talk to Haruto here in the tower the most since you feel closest to him on the roof here, I always think to myself that it is your way of running away from reality for the day or to be alone with your thoughts but Haruto, if you are here and you can hear me, know that I will never forgive you if you lead her down the wrong path" Kakyuu gritted her teeth to bite back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

Yaten wiped them off for her before they could fall and spoke steadfast: "They are on their way; I just know that they are."


-Michiru-

"Hold the elevator!" Minako called as Michiru's elevator stopped on her floor to let out another who had joined her on the ride down from just one floor under Takashi's.

The blonde quickly dashed to Michiru's side and Michiru let go of the door button.

"What's with the rush?" Michiru asked.

"You are going down to Okamoto-san aren't you?" Minako asked in return.

"So, this was a move decided together with Setsuna?" Michiru asked surprised as the elevator descended further.

"I don't think so. She isn't in today." Minako informed her as she straightened out her attire.

"So how did you know?" Michiru asked the blonde.

"I am the secretary of the Intelligence chief, if I wouldn't know what is happening in the agency, who would?" Minako only chuckled. "In any case, I better show you how to get to Kazuko without getting hurt."

"Why would I get hurt?" Michiru asked surprised.

"You'll see.." was the only ominous response she got from the blonde.

They arrived in the third underground level that was even beneath the parking structure and as soon as the doors opened Minako called into the darkness that presented itself: "We are not Kenji."

Those words echoed a few times before a small robot appeared in front of them and did a full body scan of both of them.

"Identities confirmed, please follow me." The small robot voiced with its mechanical voice and went ahead of them, showing and illuminating the path for them.

"Is it always like this?" Michiru asked Minako as they followed the robot through the darkness.

"No, not always, but fairly often." Minako chuckled as all of Michiru's senses went on high alert.

They walked a few steps when suddenly a shadow attacked from the front and Michiru protectively pushed Minako to the ground as a vicious fight behind ensued behind them.

Two people were conducting a fierce hand to hand combat until a third appeared from the darkness, breaking the fight off and sitting on one of the combatants.

"Kenji, if you keep going easy on Kazumi, she will never learn and advance. Stop coddling her." The small shadow atop the bigger one scolded the defeated man. "And you, Kazumi, don't charge so recklessly. You could have hit Mina-chan." The shadow continued, facing the figure that was standing.

"Kazuko, didn't you get a memo that we were coming down?" Minako asked from under Michiru, who stood up and helped the blonde to get back onto her feet.

The dark-haired woman with deep blue eyes took off her mask, just smirked and tapped on the masked head of the person under her.

"Kenji, did you mess with my memos again?" Kazuko Okamoto asked her brother Kenji who just groaned.

"You know us Minako, if it's important, you have to call or come. We are not the best at managing paperwork." Kazuko just chuckled as she stood up from the back of her brother, her eyes curiously scanning Michiru.

"I know, but that doesn't mean everyone else does." Minako brushed off the dust of her clothes before she handed Kazuko a black envelope.

Kazuko took the envelope and looked at it carefully.

"Where did you get this?" Kazuko asked suspiciously.

"Setsuna." Minako answered earnestly.

"She is not here." Kazuko stated evenly.

"She called." Minako answered.

"Phones don't send physical letters." Kazuko noted.

"It was in the chief's safe." Minako continued to explain.

"She would have never told you to get this just like that." Kazuko played with the envelope between her fingers.

"True, she only said: 'Get that envelope to Okamoto now' Soo here I am. Also, Kenji-kun, I am also here to inform you that your vacation has been approved." Minako explained.

"My vacation?" Kenji asked startled in return.

Kazuko threw Kenji a glance while Kazumi took off her mask as well and looked Michiru up and down.

Kazuko opened the sealed envelope and another one inside with the Meioh family seal was inside.

Kazuko opened that one as well and read the words on it quickly with a frown growing deeper and deeper on her forehead.

'Kenji, you still smoke, don't you?" Kazuko asked her brother evenly.

"No…" Kenji replied defensively as Kazumi read over Kazuko's shoulder.

"Yes, you do." His little sister Kazumi chimed in as soon she was done reading and took the letter out of her big sister's hands to give her brother the letter.

Kenji read it emotionless before he took out his lighter and lit the letter.

"Thank you, Aino-san, I will do my utmost to enjoy my vacation." Kenji replied as the small fire lit his face before it was reduced to ashes and he bid his goodbye to them and his sisters.

"You be careful, knucklehead." Kazuko just smirked before she turned to her sister. "You better go home now or you miss dinner time with the family, and say hi to mum for us." Kazuko ruffled her little sister's short dark hair before she sent her off.

Minako and Michiru just stood there, waiting for Kazuko to address them again, once her siblings had disappeared into the darkness.

"You, two better close your eyes for a moment." Kazuko instructed them and they did as they were told.

Michiru could hear Kazuko clicking a few buttons and light flooded the floor.

"Open your eyes carefully." Kazuko said stern and Michiru opened her eyes to see that they were completely surrounded by robots, large and small. Many of them resembled the humanoids that Haruka had in her tower, while others looked completely different.

"Follow me to my office, we can speak more comfortably there." Kazuko gestured for them to follow her.

"I didn't come to chat, I was merely meant to give you the letter and to return to my desk soon after." Minako interrupted the older woman.

"I see. Did you talk to your grandfather during your Obon?" Kazuko asked in passing.

"He sends his warmest regards. I met him and gave him your regards, but we didn't really talk, you know how it is when the whole family meets up. I finally spent some time with mum and dad so grandpa fell a little short." Minako admitted sheepishly to which Kazuko only nodded understandingly.

"I see. Well, get back to your desk. I will take Kaioh-san from here." Kazuko instructed Minako and Minako bowed to both of them before she walked back go the elevators with her usual light footedness.

"So, you are the infamous Kaioh, Michiru. I am Okamoto, Kazuko. I expect great things from you." Kazuko stated evenly as Michiru followed her to her office.

"I will do my best Okamoto-sama" Michiru replied politely.

"Oh, Okamoto-sama, those are my grandparents, or maybe my mother. Feel free too just call me Kazuko. You will notice that we do things differently here in the defence department. We are a bit franker than upstairs, but don't underestimate our discipline and dedication. Despite the casual talk, I expect you to be here at 8 every morning and you will not have as many freedoms as you had in the security and intelligence department. We will need to make our own assessments of your fitness, though I am sure you will pass with flying colours. Not because you have it in you, but because you have to, to be able to work here. Right now, I will only be able to show you your office, as most agents are in training right now or on mission. I don't have a secretary like Minako, because I think anyone who can make it into this department is wasted on desk duty as we have too little talent as to waste them away in front of my office at a desk, so if you have questions, knock at my door or call me." Kazumi explained as they turned a corner and were greeted by a hazel eyed brunette. "Oh, Manami, you are back already. Let me introduce you two, Kaioh-san this is Ishikawa, Manami, my right hand, left hand and neck when I am flooded with work. Manami, this Kaioh, Michiru. She will be down here with us for a while."

"Nice to meet you Ishikawa-san." Michiru greeted the other woman with a respectful bow who returned the gesture in kind before she turned to Kazuko and asked "Why?"

"Because 'A sky king might have gone diving so sea king needs to learn how to fly.'" Was Kazuko's cryptic answer to which Manami only nodded sternly.


-Shinobu-

It was surreal how she had ended up on a diplomat's jet from Uruguay, Shinobu thought to herself as she sat in the comfortable leather chairs next to Taiki who kept an eye on every of Professor Watanabe's moves.

After the professor had made her call on Taiki's phone, all their pursuers dropped back and they were driving in a normal speed, not followed or shot at by anyone, to the airport. After the call, she asked for her own phone back and had been on a texting marathon since. She wouldn't even put it down while she instructed them where to go and where to put all the gear they had with them. Taiki and Shinobu had stayed quiet during the whole process, to avoid further irritation of the professor who was very intimidating despite her small stature and they still needed her after all.

"Instead of watching me exercising my dexterity, you two should get some sleep." The professor noted as the jet took off. "You heard the pilot, we are on the express path back to Tokyo and you two look positively stressed out. You will be useless to me and anyone else for that matter if I return you broken and exhausted to your masters. I won't run, we are thousands of metres in the sky and travelling at hundreds of kilometres per hour through the air. Nor will I harm you, as long as you let me sleep until we land in Haneda. Wasn't this your mission, to get me to Tokyo and to treat Haruka Tenoh?" She asked them evenly, to which Shinobu only nodded silently. "So, you aren't failing in your mission right now, so lean back and relax. We are just taking a faster route back home and I will be doing just that. Watching both of you subtly panicking is starting to irritate me" Yuuko said calmly to the two befuddled persons sitting opposite to her.


-Michiru-

She returned late to her apartment to find her aunt discussing a matter with someone on the phone in the guest room.

"Calm down, I am here and I will make sure that she gets there as soon as possible. Are you on your way back to Berlin?... make sure to send of the package as soon as possible and make sure it is packaged adequately…..how bad is it, what did Yuuko say about the report?. …I see… we cannot know that, Yuu hadn't had a chance to make her own picture of the situation…..I know…..Honeybear let's just brace for the worst and hope for the best…you know yourself how resilient your family is, just look at the old man, Satomi regularly tells me that his vitals are beyond healthy.….yes, I will talk to her…I love you, too, and if I were by your side I would give my big bear a big hug. You did well. Just focus on the matters that are going on over there and I will keep you updated from here…..I miss you, too. I will call you as soon as I know more." Michiru couldn't help but overhear her aunt saying on the phone through the closed door.

She quickly dropped her things off in her room and got busy in the kitchen as it was her turn to cook.

Just as she was putting on the apron, her aunt came out of the guest room.

"Hey Michi, welcome back, since when are you home?" Her aunt asked surprised.

"I am barely through the door for a few minutes, I thought I make us some soba noodles." Michiru explained and she put a pot of water on the stove.

"That sounds really good." Her aunt smiled melancholically.

"Something wrong Riko-ba-chan?" Michiru asked concerned.

"Hmm? Yea…no….yes , of course. Ne, Michi-chan, how do you feel about Haruka Tenoh?" Her aunt asked with a conflicted glint in her eyes.

-Taiki-

They had just landed in Haneda and were greeted by no one.

"Didn't you say that someone would come and pick us up?" Yuuko asked the tall brunette who was carrying all their luggage.

"I couldn't reach Yaten, we will just make our way back to the Tenoh Tower." Taiki explained as calm as he could, but he could tell that Yuuko could tell that he was deeply troubled by the absence of Yaten.

"We will have a car here in 15 minutes." Shinobu chimed in.

"There's no need for that. I can give you all a lift." A female voice, coming from entrance of the hangar, announced and Yuuko turned around.

"It is good to see you again Satomi." Yuuko hugged the other person like an old friend.

"Good to see you, too, Yuuko." Satomi Mizuno replied earnestly.

"Well, we have no time to lose. Let's go." Yuuko urged and they all went quickly to her waiting car.

"We won't be able to get inside with an unregistered car." Taiki voiced as he sat in the passenger seat next to Satomi.

"You must be Taiki. I think we will be just fine." Satomi chuckled and drove confidently towards a special emergency entrance reserved for guests like Yumi and Kakyuu. Satomi reached out with her hand confidently to a hidden panel in the wall and let her hand be scanned.

Only moments later the car was lowered to an underground parking space before the ground closed above them again and Taiki wrecked his brain when or why Hotaru's paediatrician would have been granted access to the tower.

"Let's not lose time and let's go down to the clinic." Yuuko hurried them.

"The clinic is upstairs on the 45th floor Professor." Taiki corrected her and he led the way to the elevators.

Once on the clinic floor, he saw Yaten coming out of the operating theatre covered in blood and rushed towards his brother.

"What the hell happened here?" He asked his brother who only looked into the room he came out of through the glass window. Just then he noticed that Kakyuu lay collapsed on the floor and wanted to rush inside, but Yaten held him back.

"We just stopped several bleeds. Let her sleep for a bit, we have 12 hours of surgery behind us." Yaten explained calmly.

"Is Haruka stable?" Yuuko asked as she stepped up next to Taiki and looked through the window.

"Yes." Yaten replied.

"So, you call yourself Yaten now, C137." Yuuko stated evenly.

"That is the name Professor Yamamoto used for me." Yaten replied calm and Yuuko just nodded.

"I will be taking Haruka-chan and Kayuu-chan to another room so they can rest there while this room is being cleaned. I am sure this won't be the last surgery." Satomi announced calmly and Shinobu followed her to help her move Haruka while Taiki went inside and picked up Kakyuu.


-Satomi-

She was examining Haruka's body and stitches while Yuuko was studying Haruka's coveted patient file across from her in one of the chairs that were in the treatment room.

"Unbelievable….how is she still alive? What was Kakyuu thinking?" Yuuko asked Satomi as Satomi was replacing the bandages that she had opened.

"That is not really something to be said in front of the patient." Satomi chastised Yuuko stern.

"She is unconscious and if you would really know her, you'd know she'd probably be grinning sheepish right now." Yuuko countered. "Baby bear has always shrugged off pain. It is one of the most adorable aspects of her personality."

"She hasn't been your baby bear in over two decades, this is not just a scraped knee and as you can see, she is struggling to shrug this off. I might not know her as well as you do, but don't forget, the cute toddler you used to play with has grown up since the last time you held her in your arms. Also, her daughter is my patient and parents neither behave reckless nor careless when they have a child to take care of and a child doesn't turn out so well when it has responsible parents." Satomi explained.

"I don't see any record or evidence of her ever giving birth." Yuuko commented as she browsed the file.

"Of course she didn't. Doesn't mean that she isn't a parent nonetheless." Satomi pointed at a picture of Hotaru and Haruka on a swing together on a playground.

"Uh huh…" Yuuko voiced sceptically and stepped up to Haruka's bed to inspect Kakyuu's handy work. Visually no scars except the fresh ones were visible, so she traced her finger across Haruka's skin feeling for scars and not finding many.

"How is this possible? Look at this" Yuuko turned the tablet facing Satomi "….this Alaska mission.. who comes back from this alive? 122 stitches thanks to fishing out bullets out of her, not to mention the severe pneumonia that caused complications during the surgery… or this Sudan thing… 73 shrapnel fragments perforated the left lung and only closely missed the heart….and what is this? …. Poison capsule lodged in her abdomen in Mongolia that was taken out in field conditions… compared to all of this, the numerous broken ribs, legs and arms that needed setting are nothing, but look at her. Would you be able to tell all the flying excrement she has been through?" Yuuko asked as she flipped through the file.

"You know, at the beginning I thought you were complaining about Kakyuu's risk-taking that seems to rival with Haruka's but now you are just low key bragging, and you are really bad at it Yuu-chan." Satomi shook her head. "Will you ever tell your student how proud you are of her work?" She added as she pulled the cover over Haruka.

"No way." Yuuko just chuckled and read though the blood test results. "Got to be tough on them or they go all soft on you." Yuuko added with a self-serving nod.

"At the beginning, I felt offended that Ami-chan didn't get an internship offer from you, while you were in London, now I am pretty glad that she stayed home with me and had a good placement in Kyoto instead." Satomi sighed.

"Hideo-kun's internships are rare and good as well. I would have thought you would have preferred him over me any day." Yuuko stated easily. "Speaking of family, how is your husband…what was his name…"

"Jirou." Satomi replied detached.

"Yes. That was it. How is he?" Yuuko asked casually.

"Well, the last time I checked, he was doing fine." Satomi replied.

"Oh?" Yuuko sounded surprised.

"We separated when Ami was three years old. Things just didn't match up as needed. I would have thought you would be more up to date on the matters here at home, considering you are in regular if not constant touch with you know who." Satomi stated dryly.

"We tend to be too busy to keep an eye on people interested in harming the system from the outside. We completely trust you and everyone else to have it all under control at home in turn. Besides that, you know, she is not the dark lord, that would be Tenoh-senior in my opinion, there are no consequences for saying her name here." Yuuko smirked.

"This is the Tenoh Tower and the last time I was here, Tomoko showed me some of its facilities. I wouldn't be surprised if someone would be listening in on us right now, and even less if it is him." Satomi cautioned.

"We might not keep an eye too close to what is happening at home but it is unmissable, even to us on the other side on the globe, that Haruka doesn't get along with her grandfather, so there is no way she would let him have that sort of access here and from what I have heard, she is just as much of a force to fear as her dad was." Yuuko waved off Satomi's concerns with ease.

"So, you have not kept up to date about the matters within Japan, but you know of her work?" Satomi asked in return with a sceptically raised eyebrow.

"Not really, we have just tried hard not to cross paths, so whenever we caught her on the radar, we'd move. You know how complicated and dangerous for her things would get if we didn't. That is the least we could do for Haruki and Tomoko." Yuuko shrugged non-committedly.

"How is this any less dangerous than the alternative and now that is kind of inevitable, don't you think?" Satomi stated the obvious.

"Not if I can help it. It is the least that I can do for Tomoko after all." Yuuko sighed. "You know she had been my mentor as much as she had been yours and I owe her even more than you do."


-Kazuko-

She was watching Michiru on the monitors and how the other woman was getting through the training maze when her phone vibrated and she momentarily took her eyes of the screens to check it.

"What do you think?" Kazuko asked Manami, who stood next to her and had been watching Michiru for the past nine hours as well.

"She seems fit. Endurance is good." Manami just replied stoically without averting her eyes from Michiru.

"Needs a bit of work, but I wouldn't say that we are starting at zero." Kazuko nodded in agreement as she looked at the pictures that were sent to her, before she poured herself another coffee and took a sip of it.

"Don't you intend to sleep today?" Manami asked her with a raised eyebrow that Kazuko could see in the faint reflection of Manami's emotionless face in the monitor.

"I don't think we will sleep much for a while." Kazuko replied as she passed Manami her phone with a picture of Professor Yuuko Watanabe exiting the diplomatic plane from Uruguay. "Just got this from the airport surveillance team. I might as well be alert when I am already not getting any shut eye any time soon." Kazuko shrugged.

"Want me to fetch her?" Manami asked pragmatically.

"No one just 'fetches' Watanabe-sensei. It would cause too much trouble if anyone found out that she is here. I already told the team there to … delay the relay of this information. Anyway, keep looking through the pictures." Kazuko instructed Mamami as she herself stepped back to the screens that displayed Michiru's fine fighting techniques.

"Mizuno-sensei…" Manami whispered under her breath. "Has Mizuno-sensei reported this?" she finally asked Kazuko.

"No, not yet and not to my knowledge." Kazuko replied as Michiru jumped elegantly with catlike reflexes from the five-metre-high wall.

"Is this why she is here?" Manami asked Kazuko as she motioned to Michiru.

"Who knows… I haven't spoken to dad yet and dad hasn't spoken with me yet either. I never managed to get into enough good graces in this agency like he did to directly access the levels of information needed to know these sorts of things. One thing is for sure, we must do what we must do. We all have our protocols and duties." Kazuko took another sip of her coffee that had gone cold.

"Want me to double check with Kaioh-sama about the next moves?" Manami asked rhetorically.

"Go straight to the head of the clan, I don't think we have time to go through the usual channels and I expect you to be back by midday with my lunch." Kazuko instructed Manami who just nodded and promptly disappeared into the darkness without losing any further words.

"Well, well, well, who would have thought that there might be a change of guard in dad's lifetime after all." Kazuko spoke to herself before she finished her coffee.


-Haruka-

Haruka was getting frustrated. After every set up board that she beat, another one appeared in her way deeper into the mountain. She finished off the game in front of her quick and made another step deeper into the darkness.

"Haruto, this is frustrating. Couldn't you just play by yourself? You know my moves better than I do." Haruka growled into the darkness.

"This isn't me that you're playing." Her brother answered from behind.

"Then who the flying duck am I playing?" Haruka cursed angrily as she flipped the small table with the chessboard on it on which she beat her opponent with two moves.

Haruto put a calming hand on her shoulder for her not to step away from her position and pointed into the darkness where the vague outlines of a hooded figure could be seen. Haruka's gut churned and a deep-seated anger grew in her as she grabbed the small table and ran towards that figure before Haruto could hold her back.


Kakyuu-

"Haruka!" was the first word that escaped her lips as she woke up from her sleep and sat straight up in the bed that she was lying in. She immediately recognised that she was in the break room in the clinic and got out of bed. Disregarding Taiki who was sleeping next to her bed on a chair, she rushed towards Haruka's treatment room, where she could see through the large glass panels that Watanabe-sensei and Mizuno-sensei were already busy with stopping Haruka from convulsing. She had just barely opened the door when Haruka was lying still again. Only a moment later, Taiki and Yaten appeared behind her and stood silent in the room, all too scared to ask the question that had momentarily came to the forefront of their mind, but if they were truthful to themselves had been lurking in the back of it since the start or the treatment. It was only a millisecond in which the panic had disabled all her hearing and had solely focused all her attention on her visual capacities that were directed at Haruka after which the steady sound of Haruka's heart monitor was finally registered by her and she let out a tired sigh of relief.

"Her liver is failing" Yuuko only stated stern.

"I know sensei." Kakyuu replied sombre, her head hanging low in shame in front of her teacher.

"I have one for her in the next three hours delivered." Taiki voiced from behind her.

Conflicted, Kakyuu turned around and shook her head "You know Haruka would never accept that sort of debt. No healthy life for a sick one."

"But…" Yaten interrupted.

"An order is an order." Taiki admitted with gritted teeth, his loss apparent in the cracking of his voice.

"No need to be so glum. We have two options here, we either kidnap Tenoh-senior, or we find a life support that is a bit more transportable than this one so that I can take Haruka with me for a bit." Watanabe sensei joined the conversation.

"Why?" Kakyuu asked surprised.

"Abe, don't be so arrogant to think you are the only doctor here with your own personal and impressive clinic in the Tenoh Tower." Yuuko-sensei replied cryptically. "I just need my special key, the pulse and the DNA of a living Tenoh, to unlock mine." Yuuko-sensei smirked in her usual wry manner.

"We don't have a smaller blood filtering system and to unhook Haruka even temporarily from this one would be fatal, considering the conditions of her kidneys." Kakyuu pondered aloud.

"The other option would be grabbing Grandpa Tenoh from his office now. I know he is still there and his office is right on top of the IIA. We could just use the helicopter and make a surprise strike." Yaten suggested enthusiastically.

"Or we could just not endanger the patient through hazardous medical practice or by causing a major incident with the Agency and use the third option." Ami's mother interrupted them.


-Seiya-

He was rushing though the darkness of the dawn like a hunted animal on the run through the woods. He had to hurry back and get into contact with the home base. On his surveillance tour, he had overheard that Ernest had requested tactical reinforcements after he had lost a third of his troupe to injury due to the obstacles left behind by Haruka. But he couldn't get straight back to their camp with Ernest himself and a few people of his team hot on his heels. Seiya scrambled in his memory which paths he could take to lose his pursuers and to return safely to cabin. Taking a sharp left, he rushed to a safe spot deeper in the woods and further away from the cabin. He knew that near here, there had to be a small cave that Yaten and him had dug out two summers ago, but right now he could not find it for the life of him.

Suddenly everything went very quick. He tripped and before his face would hit the ground, the sound of a gun unmistakeably echoed through the forest. He could feel the air pressure of a bullet flying by his left cheek. He had been spotted. He had no choice but to run even faster and pull up all the fruits of his training that he could muster. He could not lead this machine of a man and his entourage back to Kakashi, who had managed to catch the flu at this most unsuitable of times. He quickly got up rushed further to left, towards a stream that was feeding the nearby lake. 'Up or down?' he asked himself as the bushes and trees rushed by him. Up, Haruka would always decide up when she had the chance, because that would give her a vantage point as sniper, so he had to decide down if it was her that they thought they were chasing, to get rid of them. But if they knew that they weren't chasing her, he might get everyone else into a lot of trouble. He needed time to think and had none. Suddenly he arrived at an overgrown path in the woods that was off limits of them at all times. It was an unspoken rule that no one would ever enter that area but now he had no choice. Whatever was coming ahead in the denser woods was better than letting the others down by ruining the facade they were keeping up or endangering Kakashi. He pulled up all his resources and with the rest of his energy he ran straight into the unknown. If he couldn't help his chosen family directly then the least he could do was to buy them time.


-Taiki-

Mizuno-sensei had left about an hour ago with Shinobu and Watanabe-sensei and Kakyuu were both in the laboratories, discussing Kakyuu's various treatments she had been using on Haruka while Yaten had taken it upon himself to watch Haruka, reading her the daily news summary and keeping an eye on all the machines that kept her alive.

He didn't want to say it, but from the moment he had come back, he had the feeling that at this stage, Haruka wasn't here anymore. She was slipping and yet his brother was determined to stand by her and to read her the news as if nothing had happened. He knew that this was partially a strategy to avoid Watanabe and yet to be in her proximity and yet, as much as it was burning in him to ask the obvious question, he couldn't. Not with everything that was going on, but he had noticed the similarities and yet polar opposites between the professor and his adopted brother. While Yaten's eyes were the exact opposite shade of light green to the dark ones of that Yuuko sported, their shape was identical and the other facial features were unmistakable, once that he had seen them so close to one another. It was probably the stark opposite in hair colour, the bright silver of Yaten to the deep black of Watanabe's that must have distracted him from the blatantly obvious.

He was about to get up from the couch outside of Haruka's treatment room to check upon Kakyuu when he heard the laboratory door opening up.

"We should get going. Mizuno-sensei should be back any moment." Yuuko's voice could be heard though the hallways.

"Is it safe to leave Haruka alone?" Kakyuu asked doubtfully.

"We won't be going far and Yaten is trained in emergency care, isn't he?" Yuuko asked rhetorically.

"Yes, and he is very competent…." Kakyuu agreed.

"Stop worrying and let's go." Yuuko instructed Kakyuu and Taiki got up from the couch to join them.

Yuuko looked him up and down as they walked to the elevators.

"Are all security measures implemented?" She asked him as they entered the elevator.

"Yes, Yaten has initiated all the necessary protocols." Taiki informed her.

"I want them doubled, once Mizuno-sensei is back, and I want all non-essential power usage curbed and redirected to the close perimeter detection system." Yuuko instructed him and Taiki glanced over to Kakyuu who just nodded.

"Understood." Taiki confirmed.

"Is Yamaguchi-ba-san still in charge of the three indoor farms?" Yuuko asked casually.

"Eight indoor farms. Haruka-sama had extended the capacity and automated a lot of it, but essentially the Yamaguchi's are still in charge of that. They have their own access tunnels and codes with added security and fail saves as well as added shelter for all the Yamaguchi family in case of emergency." Taiki explained.

"Hmm, I see. They are still in charge of all that is planted and processed?" Yuuko continued to enquire.

"Yes. Soy capacities have been widely expanded to cover Haruka-sama's taste for Tofu and tier plantation has been implemented to achieve bigger yields. The Tofu facilities are right next to farm level six. Atsuko-basan still attends to it personally every morning at three before attending to her store." Taiki elaborated.

"Akira-san is taking care of the rest, I assume." Yuuko asked with a slight smirk in her voice.

"Indeed." Taiki confirmed.

"Good." Yuuko nodded satisfied.

They arrived on one of the parking floors where Satomi was already waiting with Shinobu, who was holding a sleeping Hotaru in her arms.

"You sure about this Satomi?" Yuuko addressed Ami's mother as she looked at Hotaru a bit closer.

"How long have we known each other that you stopped trusting my judgement now?" Satomi asked back.

"Ok, ok." Yuuko just waved her off told Kakyuu to take Hotaru.

"You are part of the Myamoto's clan, aren't you?" Yuuko addressed Shinobu who nodded affirmatively.

"I am only a low servant of the Myamoto-clan heiress, Myamoto, Yumi-sama." Shinobu explained.

"The famous tea master?" Yuuko asked with a hint of approval.

"Yes Watanabe-sensei." Shinobu confirmed.

"Go back to your mistress and do not share anything of what you have seen here with anyone." Yuuko continued. "If anyone asks, you have never seen me." The professor emphasised and Shinobu nodded again.

"What can I tell my mistress?" Shinobu asked tentatively and Yuuko looked at her for a moment, contemplating her words carefully.

"Does Haruka trust her, Kakyuu?" Yuuko asked her former stundent.

"She has been the best student of Haruka's from the Myamoto-clan. Haruka and Yumi are close. Haruka trusts her with Hotaru's life." Kakyuu said confidently.

"Your name was Shinobu, wasn't it?" Yuuko asked rhetorically and Shinobu nodded again.

"Well Shinobu, when my protegee speaks so highly of you and holds you in that high regard, then I am going to trust you to stay discreet about everything you have seen and heard here. But if I find that you have done anything that could harm me or anyone here, you know what I am capable of and I do not fear the Myamoto-name nor do I mind going against conventions here." Yuuko didn't bother veiling her threat.

"Understood." Shinobu bowed deep.

"No need to be so hard." Satomi sided defensively with Shinobu. "This child has been through enough and she has Haruka's confidence."

"The worst traitors are the ones you trust." Yuuko said coldly.

"I give my life for Myamoto-sama and Tenoh-sama in a heartbeat. They saved me; I owe them my life." Shinobu spoke up, uncharacteristically firm.

"Good, I am glad we are on the same page then. You better get going before the sun rises and people see you returning." Yuuko nodded approvingly.

Shinobu bowed and bid her farewell before she disappeared behind a hidden panel to the tunnels below.

"And you, don't just stand around, get the energy settings done as I told you to and then go to Akira and tell him that he should bring the Chef's Oden option with the complete works. No Sake for today but whatever he recommends fits with it that is ice cold." Yuuko instructed Taiki, catching him slightly off guard.


-Michiru-

She felt battered after another long day and night in the training maze as she returned to Kazuko.

"Well done. Hungry?" Kazuko just asked short as she turned off the computers in the observation room.

"A bit." Michiru admitted.

"Great. Let's go and have some Ramen." Kazuko said cheerful as she stood up and dragged Michiru out of the building.

"Kazuko-san, it is nearly four in the morning. I am not sure where you can still get any Ramen." Michiru voiced as her boss pulled her along.

"Oh, I have my spots. Don't you worry about a minor detail, like time, with that." Kazuko waved off easily.

Too tired to refuse, she just nodded in defeat and followed Kazuko to her car.

"So, Michiru-san, can I call Michiru or do you prefer Kaioh?" Kazuko asked casually as she pulled onto the empty streets of Tokyo.

"Michiru is fine." Michiru replied politely.

"Ok, so Michiru-san, do you like Ramen?" Kazuko asked rhetorically.

"I don't really mind. But I am wondering if it is such a good idea to have such a heavy meal so late at night." Michiru raised the issue as she sat next to Kazuko in the black Lexus, cruising along the empty streets of Tokyo.

"You mean early in the day. The sun is rising in less than three hours after all." Kazuko chuckled.

"True." Michiru concurred.

"So, what brings a talented violinist to the Agency? I mean, you could have had a very comfortable life as an artist with your family's background." Kazuko mused as she took a turn to the Sumida river.

"True, but I don't think that would have been completely fulfilling for me. I love making music, but guess there has to be more to life than creating something that is so fleeting." Michiru pondered.

"I see." Kazuko nodded.

"What about you?" Michiru asked in return.

"A matter of duty and tradition. I cannot let the eleven generations that did this job before me down." Kazuko said matter-of-factly.

No matter how tired Michiru was, the maths didn't add up. Eleven generations? Either those were very short generations, or Michiru's Maths skills were letting her down at dawn, Michiru thought to herself.

Kazuko chuckled.

"Yes, the agency doesn't exist for over three hundred years, but that doesn't mean that the job to defend someone hasn't existed for that period of time." Kazuko elaborated.

"Oh, so you are from the core block and your family has been there from the very start then." Michiru nodded with understanding sinking in.

"You could say that." Kazuko just confirmed vaguely. "Oh, here we are."

Kazuko pulled up smoothly in front of a small Ramen shop with the typical red lantern still faintly glowing in front of it.

They exited the car and entered a small, nearly empty store. Despite the cook behind the counter and one of his workers wiping the tables, no one was really there.

"We're closed." The owner just grunted without looking up and his assistant barely glanced up from his task.

"Good evening Kaito-ji" Kazuko grinned broadly.

"You mean good morning Kazu-chan." He just muttered gruffly.

"Technically yes." Kazuko concurred. "I brought a friend. Will you make us two bowls of your special and can I have extra egg?" She continued to ask.

"Sure. Just sit down somewhere. Two specials coming right up." The old man with the hard face and the heavy brows just nodded and gestured to the counter.

Michiru followed Kazuko's lead and both sat down at the counter seats, watching the old man skilfully taking out two portions of fresh noodles and steeping them boiling water before placing them in two bowls that stood ready for them.

"And you? Any special wishes, miss?" Kaito asked as he turned to Michiru.

"No, I have it just the way you intended it to be." Michiru replied politely.

The old man looked her in the eyes a moment longer than it was appropriate for the situation and Michiru read a deep-seated sorrow in his eyes, coupled with a keen sense for survival. The man was a fighter and a survivor.

"Good. I like her" He just mumbled to Kazuko who smirked before he turned back to the ramen bowls, covered them with hot broth and various delicious smelling toppings.

"Thought you might." Kazuko said self-congratulatory. "By the way Kaito-ji, this is Kaioh, Michiru, my newest recruit. Michiru-san, this grump here is Maeda, Kaito, the man with the golden hand with Ramen and the guy in the back there is his lackey Fujioka, Ryou. Don't be fooled by his hard working demeanour, he enjoys slacking around just as much as the next guy." Kazuko introduced her informally to the others and Michiru noticed how Kaito tensed for a microsecond.

"Big words for someone so small." Ryou, a man just a hint smaller or almost same height to Haruka called back from the back of the store.

"I can afford it Ryou-kun." Kazuko just called back unrepentant.

"Eat, before it cools down." Kaito interrupted the banter by serving them the two steaming bowls.

"Itadakimasu" Kazuko and Michiru said in unison before starting to eat.

Michiru didn't know if it was just her exhaustion or the fact that she hadn't eaten in the past sixteen hours, but this bowl of Ramen tasted familiar and yet was the best Ramen she ever had. Everything about it was just right, well balanced and very fulfilling. Even Kazuko put her usual cheekiness aside and enjoyed her food in comfortable silence while the men continued to clean up the store.

With time, the men seemed to relax while the women ate in silence and Michiru started to look around her some more. The store wasn't big nor fancy and everything seemed to be geared to an established clientele rather than attracting new ones. It kind of reminded her a bit of Yamaguchi's, the old that was well worn yet well loved, evident in every corner.

"Are you always open this late?" Michiru asked as Kaito was wiping down the kitchen surfaces on the other side of the counter in front of her.

"Technically we are closed but you never know when this little one might drop in." Kaito replied with a hint of a chuckle. "Your mum will be upset that you didn't come home for dinner." Kaito said to Kazuko as he took the already empty bowl from Kazuko and prepared another for her.

Michiru was surprised at the speed at which Kazuko had annihilated hers while Michiru was still just half way done.

"You know that and yet you make me seconds." Kazuko grinned wide.

"Can't let you go home half starved. Who knows, you might still grow an inch or so." Kaito replied from the stove.

"Yea, sideways." Kazuko laughed.

Michiru looked Kazuko up and down and the smaller woman was no bigger than her aunt, if not even a bit smaller and slimmer, yet she ate like two people with ease.

"I have a very active metabolism." Kazuko just answered to unasked question with a nonchalant shrug before Kaito gave her the second bowl of Ramen. This time with no extra egg but still well laden with toppings.

"Why would you volunteer to work for this tyrant?" Ryou asked Michiru as he joined them at the counter and Kaito gave him also a big bowl of steaming hot Ramen with extra chilli.

Michiru hesitated to respond, as it wasn't permitted to talk about agency business with strangers.

"She was transferred." Kazuko replied between sips of the delicious broth.

"Oh goodness, did you kill someone or something or why are you being punished like that?" Ryou played fake exasperation.

"Don't listen to him Michiru-san, he is just still mad that I got promoted before him back in the days." Kazuko waved off Ryou's comments.

"You used to work for the IIA?" Michiru asked slightly surprised.

"Retired." Ryou just replied ambiguously before starting to eat himself.

They sat relaxed together, with Kazuko and Ryou reminiscing about the old days and finished their food while Kaito disappeared in the backroom and eventually came out with a small packet that he passed to Kazuko.

"How much do I owe you for this meal?" Kazuko asked after she put the package safely into her bag.

"Just say hi to your mother for me and gives this to your father. He ordered it a while ago, I just never got around to bringing it to him." Kaito waved off Kazuko's offer to pay.

"But I would like to pay for my half then at least, it was very delicious." Michiru joined their conversation.

"That is too much praise for some simple Ramen, Kaioh-san. Let me invite you this time and when you come next time, I will accept fair payment for it." Kaito responded humbly.

"Michiru is fine, Maeda-san. You have welcomed me so warmly, it would feel wrong if you called me by my Surname." Michiru smiled gently and the old man softened.

"Kaito it is then for you as well, Michiru-san." He nodded in agreement.


-Kakyuu-

They all entered the elevator and Yuuko placed her hand on the hidden emergency panel under the buttons for the various floors. Immediately all lights went out like programmed for an emergency hostage situation and Kakyuu held the still sleepy Hotaru tighter in her arms.

Yuuko stayed calm and waited for another moment with her hand firmly in place before the cabin was flooded with blue light and they went down.

"Are we playing hide and seek?" Hotaru asked as she rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"No Hime-chan." Kakyuu soothingly caressed Hotaru's head and kissed her head.

"We are going on a small adventure." Yuuko grinned and Hotaru looked at the person that was unknown to her curiously.

They passed the usual underground level and entered the restricted area deep beneath the tower.

Even Kakyuu didn't know how low it was possible to go in here, as they had always been too busy with everything else that needed to be taken care of, like the clinic, the research, the tunnels, training facilities as well security to actually explore the whole extend of the building. Only Haruka knew true extents of the building and made no effort to share anything beyond of what they needed to know. She did know that in case of an emergency, she would be able to enter secret levels in the Tenoh tower by the same means as Yuuko had used, but for her own safety, Haruka never showed her, so that she could never divulge it in case of capture.

According to the display, they came to a hold on level X12 and they all exited.

"Oh, I know this place" Hotaru spoke up in the tense silence and slid out of Kakyuu's arms. "Haruka-papa said that we only go here if we are playing or if bad people are here and are mean to us. Are you bad?" Hotaru asked Professor Watanabe as Kakyuu couldn't help but stand mortified next to her teacher.

"Well, what do you think? Do I look bad?" Yuuko asked Hotaru with a challenging glint in her eyes.

"Do you like ice cream?" Hotaru asked in return.

"I do. Do you?" Yuuko replied.

"Me, too. What's your favourite flavour?" Hotaru asked.

"Green tea." Yuuko continued intrigued and watched how Hotaru processed that information.

"Would you give me some of it if I asked you nicely?" Hotaru continued to ask.

"Sure." Yuuko answered easily.

"Sure sure or sure?" Hotaru continued her interrogation with a hint of scepticism.

"Yes, I would even get you your own serving." Yuuko elaborated.

"Ok, and what is your name?" Hotaru continued as they walked towards a big metal door.

"Yuuko, and what's yours?" Yuuko asked in return.

"Hotaru. Are you older or younger than Haruka-papa." Hotaru asked curiously.

"Older." Yuuko replied.

"Ok, Yuuko-ba-san….I believe you….but why are so you small?" Hotaru asked with childlike innocence, causing Satomi to chuckle.

"I didn't nap enough when I was your age." Yuuko replied unfazed.

When they reached the door, Yuuko placed her left hand into a slot in which it got scanned while Hotaru watched closely.

"Are you waiting for my hand to be chopped off?" Yuuko asked Hotaru with a smirk.

"Well, Haruka-papa said that liars lose their hand in there, so answer this, are you a good person and are you good to Haruka-papa?" Hotaru asked as the hand was slowly being traced by a beam of light.

"Yes, I am a good person to your Haruka-papa" Yuuko answered as she called up another panel to the right and it lid up with a number pad and typed in a number combination.

"Welcome back Yuuko-sensei" a female voice sounded from hidden speakers that surrounded them.

"Thank you Tomo. Can you please let us into the laboratories?" Yuuko asked the voice.

"Secondary verification is necessary, please verify that a Tenoh-member is by your side." The voice instructed the Professor and a small panel opened up with a small tube with a mouthpiece inside.

"So Hotaru, now is your big moment, open your mouth wide and keep nibbling on this." Yuuko instructed Hotaru who looked to Kakyuu for permission and Kakyuu nodded encouragingly.

"Satomi, if you were wrong, we'll be in deep trouble" Yuuko addressed Ami's mother after she had placed the tube in Hotaru's mouth.

"Shouldn't Tomoko-senpai and you not have built a better verification system instead and used blood for verification like everyone else?" Satomi asked slightly offended.

"It wasn't me who built the security, I was more responsible for the inside. We had to opt out of the blood option since it is rather messy and you know that the twins hate needles. To make sure they are alive when getting here, or whomever who is of the Tenoh-tribe, and no one is messing with the actual system unless they are definitely part of the family DNA verification is a must, plus you need a working pulse before you can open the labs, so this was the best compromise." Yuuko just shrugged as they watched how Hotaru's saliva was travelling up the blue glowing tube with keen interest.

Moments passed before the tube turned green and a big door opened to a bright and clean laboratory.

Yuuko removed the tube from Hotaru.

"Well done Hotaru-chan. You have done really well." Yuuko praised the child and caressed the messy black hair.

"I thought you don't coddle kids." Now Satomi smirked.

"This is Tomoko-senpai's grandchild, I will spoil her however and how much I like, right Hotaru-chan? Want to get some ice cream later?" Yuuko grinned and Hotaru nodded enthusiastically.

"How may I be of assistance to you Yuuko-sensei." A hologram of a blonde woman appeared in the middle of the room, putting Hotaru in awe.

"Baa-chan? Is that really you?" Hotaru called and ran towards and through it.

"There, there Hotaru, this is Tomo. She watches over these labs and the whole tower." Yuuko explained.

"You look like my grandma, Tomoko-baa-chan." Hotaru addressed the Hologram.

"Yes, indeed Hotaru-chan, I have been designed after Tomoko-sensei." The Hologram explained.

Kakyuu looked around herself and was amazed by the high-tech laboratory that surrounded them.

"Oh, this is very old tech, the last time I was here to update anything was about a decade or more ago. It is nothing that should faze you Kaki-chan." Yuuko patted Kakyuu's shoulder, her pride of her work clearly noticeable in her voice.

"I have been updating and repairing the laboratory as instructed before your last visit." Tomo, the hologram informed Yuuko.

"Ah yes. Please give me the whole report summary Tomo and has anyone else been down here since I sealed you?" Yuuko enquired the system.

"Yes, Haruto and Haruka made their way in here. Haruka only stayed for 25 seconds at her only visit, Haruto came down here last, three years, eight months and six days ago." Tomo reported.

"Have they ever gone beyond the entrance here."

"No, Yuuko-sensei. Haruto only ever came down here to have a conversation with me. He also helped me with maintenance by bringing parts that I could not get via the internet or upgrading various robot arms that I did not have the tools for." Tomoko reported.

"I see." Yuuko just nodded. "No one has entered the vault after I sealed you?" Yuuko asked as if to make sure.

"No one" the system confirmed.

"Alright, time for Hotaru-chan to get back to bed." Yuuko told Kakyuu and Kakyuu proceeded to pick up Hotaru to take her to her apartment to tug her in.

As she left the laboratory with Hotaru, she overheard how Yuuko-sensei authorising her re-entry for later and Hotaru rested her tired head on Kakyuu's shoulder.

"Can I see Haruka-papa before I go back to bed?" Hotaru asked her innocently and Kakyuu tensed momentarily.

"Haruka isn't well at the moment." Kakyuu tried to explain.

"I see, is that why Mizuno-sensei and Yuuko-ba-san are here? So they can help you like your dad and Ami-nee?" Hotaru continued to ask.

"Yes, that is why." Kakyuu confirmed while caressing Hotaru's back as the child was slowly falling asleep in her arms.

"Ok, don't worry Kakyuu-nee. Satomi-ba-san is really good. When she gives me injections, it never hurts and every time I am sick, she fixes it really quick. I am sure she can help you to fix Haruka-papa really quick as well." Hotaru said with a yawn before she fell completely asleep as they arrived on Kakyuu's apartment floor.

As she stood there in the elevator with a sleeping Hotaru in her arm, she wondered to herself if it wasn't already too late and if she had waited too long to call her teacher to help when doors opened and Taiki stood there, waiting.

He entered and took Hotaru wordlessly out of her arms.

"You have a more important job to do, I take care of her until you come back up" were the only words he told her before he exited the elevator again and Kakyuu just numbly nodded.

That was right. She had a more important job to do than to worry, she needed to hold it together not just for herself.

She took the elevator back down with the same button combination as she had observed that Yuuko used and took a deep breath before exiting the elevator to the underground lab.

The entrance seemed empty as Satomi and Yuuko were nowhere to be seen when Tomo appeared again.

"Kakyuu-sensei, Yuuko-sensei and Satomi-sensei have already moved into the vault, please follow me." The hologram of Haruka's mother advised her and she nodded and followed the faint image.

Upon entering the so-called vault, Kakyuu noticed the dimmed light and the many tubes, pipes and hoses that lined the walls that led to dimly lit tanks.

Tank after tank of liquids with varying organs were aligned next to each other at the far end of the vault where Yuuko was standing and reading a report on an older affixed tablet while Satomi inspected fascinated eight beating hearts in their separate containers, some beating perfectly in sync.

"So we got half a dozen livers, six lungs, twelve kidneys, four spleens, five stomachs, a few dozen metres of large and small intestine and ….." Yuuko started to list what sounded like an inventory when suddenly a large tank with pink undefineable substance caught her eye.

"Is that skin?" Kakyuu asked, not capable of containing her astonishment."

"Yea, I kind of expected Haruka to be tattooed all over and ruling the main Yakuza family by the time I see her again, all covered in tattoos, so I thought I make some spare, just in case she changed her mind on the ink and if she would want a real clean start" Yuuko explained nonchalant.

"All this…." Kakyuu couldn't find any words.

"Are Haruka's organs, some are from her dad and her mum, but it is not as if they need it anymore. Most samples were taken from five-year-old Haruka to grow all of this, so they should match up to her perfectly while being in pristine condition." Yuuko explained.

"How…." Kakyuu was speechless.

"Advanced secret, highly unethical, stem cell research. My brother was a pioneer with it. Tomoko and him did a lot of work with it. My brother in the need to find a cure for himself and Tomoko to find a workable solution for Haruto. Sadly, we never managed to figure out how to clone high quality bone marrow, since it itself consists of a lot of stem cells and technology was just not ready for it, no matter how much money one had, you cannot buy time and brains that know how to work it." Yuuko sighed. "Anyway, enough reminiscing, I already found the perfect pair of kidneys and a suitable liver for Haruka, I was thinking about exchanging her tired lung and exhausted heart if the body accepts the new kidneys and liver well, since both are so scarred, a new set should aid her recovery quite well." Yuuko continued to explain.

"Well, what are we waiting for. Let's get started." Satomi said encouragingly.


-Kakashi-

He felt like he was coughing out his lungs. This forsaken flu didn't want to subside and Seiya was not back from his intelligence gathering trip. Irritated he got up from the couch. He didn't want to admit it, but he was starting to get worried as he sat down at the computer terminal to contact the tower. No one was answering his calls. He debated with himself if he should wait any longer, but the sun was setting and he knew that Seiya had left without any provisions. He eventually gave in to his own concerns and logged into a remote Tenoh-system himself to check on Seiya.

He sent out a tracking signal and the response signal from the tracker in Seiya's wrist was weak, but at least the black-haired man seemed alive. To track his exact location down via satellite would be harder, since the coverage here was weak to non-existent most of the day.

As he watched the small dot that indicated Seiya's wellbeing flicker faintly on the screen, it suddenly disappeared.