A/N: I apologise to all who get email updates that this is the only new chapter this week. I had to re-upload the previous 3 chapters because there were minor mistake in them that irked me too much to move on with my writing. Anyway, thanks to all readers for still beng here. I will try to upload more regular as I used to in the past.


-Haruka-

After grabbing Taiki from the offices and finally sitting behind the wheel after something that felt like an eternity and a half, they were standing in front of a big yet only modestly marked building in one of the side streets of Ginza and Haruka could feel Taiki's unrest next to her.

"Will you relax?" Haruka asked him rhetorically. "I almost slowed down every time I noticed that you winced."

"I am relaxed." Taiki replied between gritted teeth and his disapproving eyes framed with a deep frown.

"You could have fooled me." Haruka merely shrugged before walking into the elevator that transported them up to the eighth floor.

"Welcome Tenoh-sama, Kou-san" the receptionist welcomed them.

"Oh, you must be new here…I didn't catch your name." Haruka looked the other person up and down.

"This is Fujikawa, Midori, third grandchild of Fujikawa-san." Taiki introduced her to Haruka and Haruka recalled a vague memory of a small cheeky child that she used to tease when she came here with her dad.

"Are you here to get fitted for the engagement party?" Midori continued to ask.

"I think I still need to diet a bit for that…" Haruka tapped her stomach with her free hand to emphasise her inadequacy. "But, don't mind me asking, what would be the dress code if I decided to attend after all, Fujikawa-san?" Haruka asked in return.

"For you, middle to heavy artillery proofing with a side of knife impenetrability and a matching hat in case of sniper." The young woman replied with an amused smile.

"Oh, so word got around and the young lady knows her way around the wares…" Haruka smirked. "Do you think I deserve so much wrath, Fujikawa-san?"

"Tenoh-sama, are you asking me, as the representative of this establishment and my family, or me personally?" The young woman's bright brown eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Both, if I may." Haruka chuckled.

But before Midori could answer, Tamaki came out to greet them.

"Midori-chan, why didn't you bring Tenoh-sama straight into the atelier?" The old man scolded his granddaughter as he led them inside. "I apologise Haruka-sama, please come in."

"Tamaki-ji, it isn't Midori-chan's fault that I engaged her into conversation that she was too polite to break off." Haruka chuckled and noticed a small sigh of relief escaping the young woman.

"Yeah, seems you both never really grew up." Tamaki snickered

All three followed the old man inside and Midori engaged the security system the moment the door closed behind them.

"You have to excuse my precautions. There were two attempts to break in here in the last month…" Tamaki explained as he further engaged the perimeter security system.

"Did you catch them?" Haruka asked.

"One has been dealt with; the other is still on the loose." Tamaki said easily.

"Is there anything I can do for you to help?" Haruka offered.

Tamaki stopped for a moment and looked her up and down, his eyes resting for a good moment on her cane before he turned around and reached for his measuring tape.

"Try not to cut anyone's hair for a while." Tamaki sniggered.


-Riko-

She woke up to the sweet sound of Michiru's violin and started to stretch herself.

"Had a good nap?" Kumiko asked her as she stretched her leg, once Riko had sat up and freed her to do so.

"Obviously. How could I not have a good nap while resting on the best pillow that exists out there." Riko replied before looking around.

"Linda and Allison are out to do the rounds." Kumiko informed her and Riko laid back down to rest her head back on the other woman's thigh.

Riko closed her eyes again and listened to the exquisite sounds that Michiru was eliciting from her violin. By now she knew all Michiru's pieces by heart and it was easy to tell if and when Michiru was absolutely immersed in her music.

"I can hear why you are going easy on her during training, but you do need to train her harder." Riko commented, her eyes still closed.

"It is hard for me to attack seriously when I know how important this concert is to her. Injuring her arms now might not be fatal to her physically, but I doubt it wouldn't leave a permanent scar on her psychologically." Kumiko replied pensively.

"Are you saying that as her guardian or as her violin teacher?" Riko chuckled.

"I like to think that I have always been both." Kumiko smirked. "But I see what you mean…it just has to wait until after the concert. In the end, she only has to make sure that she gets out unscathed, whatever happens… she has no dog in this fight." Kumiko reminded her.

"I am not so sure about that…"Riko voiced her doubts.

"Her mission is clear and she knows that. Duty always comes first." Kumiko sounded resolute.

"I can only hope that she is as resolute as you are." Riko sighed, doubt still gnawing in the back of her mind. "Then again, when your dad knocked with your duty on your door, you refused." Riko chuckled.

"That was not my duty. That was an unreasonable demand. As far as I am concerned, I am fulfilling my duty right now." Kumiko replied defensively.

"And that is?" Riko continued her teasing.

"Being where I am needed, protecting what I love." Kumiko replied before leaning down for kiss.


-Taiki-

"Collar stays the same, two more centimetres for the triceps, one and a half for the upper arm.…half less on the hips….one more for each upper thigh…You got more defined than last time…." Tamaki noted as he dictated Midori the new measurements.

"I laid off the snacks with my tea…cutting the carbs." Haruka joked and Tamaki nodded understandingly.

"I hope you will like what I have in store for you. I had a brand-new shipment of the newest fabrics on the market and I just finished testing them." Tamaki exclaimed excited after she got down from platform, redressed and sat down next Taiki on the couch.

"This is the newest model that I have just designed. Subtle, slim fit, 18 compartments for weapons and ammunition, stain proof and it comes in matching colours with your cane." Tamaki pointed at the cane on which Haruka was leaning her chin as she was sitting on a comfortable couch and as he made his granddaughter wheel in several suits on mannequins.

Haruka grinned wide like a child in a toy store and went to inspect the suits that Tamaki had just finished introducing to her.

"The fabric is rather soft." Haruka noted, as her free hand inspected the jacket.

"Try it on." Tamaki encouraged her to take the jacket and she put it on eagerly, just when she had buttoned the first button Tamaki shot her in the Kidney region from a close range with a small calibre.

"Oh, this might leave a small bruise after all… I should add more reinforcement." Tamaki noted as he removed the bullet.

"It is actually not so bad…but I will definitely take the matching vest with this." Haruka commented as she looked into the mirror. "What do you think Midori-chan?"

"The matching vest has space for two dozen carbon fibre throwing knives and adds more safety layers, but with an extra layer in the jacket it also adds more structure to the jacket, accentuating your shoulders and your back." Midori replied.

"You got a great sales person there Tamaki-ji." Haruka grinned wide. "I would like these suits in all five colours and the usual three colours for the guys as well. Taiki will send you all the necessary measurements as usual. Just change the knife layer for an extra enforcement layer for them." Haruka instructed Tamaki who nodded in agreement.

"I had a feeling you might like them so I made you one in advance from the measurements that Yaten-san sent over last night, just in case you need to attend anything formal in the nearer future. It should fit perfectly. Midori, bring out the new suit for Tenoh-sama. The rest will be ready with all the requested trims in ten days and I will send them the usual way. It's the exclusive Tenoh-special after all." Tamaki responded.

"Wonderful. I leave this all to you then. If you need anything, you know how to reach me." Haruka removed the jacket and handed it to the old man before putting her own one back on.

After grabbing Haruka's new suit and short goodbyes, Haruka and him were back outside in the open again, walking to where they had parked the car.

Taiki couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched and he kept looking around for signs of being followed while Haruka happily walked next to him with her cane's clicking sound echoing through the empty street.

Suddenly she stopped and all of Taiki's senses were on high alert.

"Grandfather. It is not like you to be this sloppy." Haruka spoke clearly and a tall figure stepped out of the shadow in front of them.

"There was a rumour that you were using a cane and I just wanted to see it with my own eyes." Takashi replied, his words low and cold.

"Just wanted to know what it felt like to be like dad." Haruka's voice was playful and Taiki could see anger flickering up in the older man's eyes for a moment before they turned cold again.

"You will never be anything like my son." Takashi replied even.

"Obviously. I am his daughter after all." Haruka chuckled wryly.

Takashi's right hand balled into a fist and Taiki noticed how Haruka gripped her cane tighter with hers.

"If you don't mind, I have places to be and things to do." Haruka shrugged and continued to walk towards the car. "By the way, you might want to dig out your own cane. You don't seem to have the safest of footing there, either." Haruka said quietly while passing him.


-Michiru-

"Again!" Kumiko barked through the headset and Michiru stood up straight and looked back over the Labyrinth she had just run through to outrun the older blonde.

"Let me catch some breath first." Michiru panted in reply, but before Michiru received any reply, a colour pellet exploded next to her head on the wall.

"Your enemies won't be as lenient. Take this as your last warning, the next shot is 30 push ups and scrubbing the sento with a tooth brush." Kumiko chuckled and Michiru ran back into the labyrinth, trying her best to avoid being shot while still making it to the other side the shortest way possible.

Michiru didn't think it was possible, but the training got harder and her body was pushed to limits Michiru never knew she had and had no desire to explore.

Bullets were flying left right and centre as she ducked and sped through various parts of the labyrinth and suddenly all assaults stopped. Michiriru sped up even more to get out the other side while Kumiko was probably reloading, but even on the other side, no final shot came.

She quickly climbed out of the labyrinth and headed to the upper deck where Riko was usually watching her training, only to find both women talking quietly to on another while watching something on Riko's phone and stopping their exchange the moment Michiru was close enough to catch anything.

"I brought Pizza" Riko said cheerfully towards Michiru.

"Great." Michiru replied as she sat down next to the pizza boxes and looked inside.

"There is a need of a change of plans." Kumiko continued.

"Do we need a bigger venue? I know all seats are sold out and daily requests for more tickets are being made." Michiru guessed.

"No." Kumiko replied. "We might have to cancel it, because Linda found a bomb under the stage."