Hello loyal readers,

It's weeks like the past two that make me glad I am uploading only every other week. Still trying to adjust to my 2 jobs plus still unpacking my apartment (in addition to trying to be an adult and keep my fridge stocked with things like milk and eggs lol) - basically, I don't have much time or energy for writing nowadays. Luckily these next few chapters have been flowing pretty well with minimal pain. I'm excited for you all to read them!

Today, we have a little bit of time with Kuu and Juliena. Also, Rick! I know that my version of Rick is not 100% faithful to the manga (Manga Rick is a lot stricter with Kuon). But I had a fun time writing him and Tina. Also, this is only my crazy head canon, but I believe that Rick is at least partially Japanese-American. Maybe it's his flowing dark hair. Lol

Enjoy the read!

-x-

CH29

-MANY YEARS AGO-

-LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA-

"Kuon… you can't keep on like this…"

Now Kuon knew he was in real trouble. His dad had put his forks down – both of them – and that never bode well. It was even more ominous because Kuu was ignoring a perfectly good steaming plate of omelets (12 to be exact) sitting right in front of him.

Suddenly not feeling hungry, Kuon put his own fork down. On instinct, the 15 year-old turned his head to the side so his black eye would be less visible to his father sitting at the head of the table. Unfortunately, by turning, Kuon was staring straight at his mother across from him. Juliena's concerned gaze caused Kuon to drop his green eyes to his plate.

"Kuon," his father prompted again. "I know that the early recruit program didn't work out, but you running around wild isn't helping–."

Unable to raise his head, Kuon could only glare at his eggs. Why was his dad dragging up ancient history? So what! Those stuffy suits at the CIA kicked him out of the interview process. They thought he was a security liability in the field, a moocher trying to take advantage of his parents' prestige, a source of potential resentment among the other recruits… All they were really saying was that no matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, his parents' shadow would always cut him off from his dreams.

"–There are other ways you can get involved with the CIA," Kuu continued, oblivious to his son's thoughts, and shifted into dumb-father mode, "After all! Our son's handsome face, talent, and massive intellect shouldn't go to waste!"

As his father went on, Kuon felt a familiar rage growing in his breast. Who cared what his parents thought! No one else would give him a chance. It was hopeless–!

A soft, gentle touch on his hand snapped him from his thoughts. Blinking, he looked up to see that his mother and father had each placed their hands over his. Only then did Kuon note the crumpled napkin that he had grasped in a strangle hold in his hands.

The rage flooded out of him as quickly as it had come. Dropping his hands to his lap, Kuon looked down. "Sorry…"

He missed the concerned look his parents exchanged.

"Kuon…" Kuu had gotten up and was now kneeling next to his son's chair. The blonde teen could only stare at his open hands as if they belonged to a stranger.

"Kuon," his mother implored. "Please listen to your father. The door's not shut yet."

"There's still hope, you know." Kuu gently chucked a finger under Kuon's chin. The blonde teen looked up. His father gave him a mischievous smile. "I didn't raise my son to give up so fast!"

After a second of hesitation, Kuon nodded once and shakily returned his father's smile. "Right."

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Brightening, Juliena got up from her seat to answer the door. Kuu stood up and laughed, bold and brilliant. He grinned down at Kuon. "Just in time! I have a surprise for you, son."

"It's so good to see you!" Juliena's voice carried through the halls as she led their guest through the house toward the dining room. "Goodness, you've grown!"

"It'd be a real problem if I hadn't grown in five years!" The guest laughed, a strong, clear sound. Kuon perked up, leaning in his seat so he could see who had his parents in such a good mood.

His mother cleared the doorway first, and behind her followed a young man in his mid-twenties. The man's long-sleeved button-up shirt was a zany floral pattern tucked into dark-wash jeans. His black hair, straight and shoulder-length, was parted down the middle above intelligent, smiling brown eyes.

"Hey! You made it!" Kuu strode across the room and swept the guest into a great bear hug.

"Kuu!" The man merely laughed, hands held up in a paltry defense. "Hold on, you're going to strangle me!"

"As if I could kill someone like you!" Kuon's father clapped the man heartily on the back and turned back to his confused son. Shaking the dark-haired guest by the shoulder, Kuu grinned at the blonde teen. "Kuon, this is Rick."

Rick finally broke free and stepped forward, still laughing, and extended his hand to Kuon. The teen slipped out of his chair and gripped Rick's hand, hesitant. The man shook his hand firmly. "How are you, Kuon? It's nice to finally meet you."

Kuon felt a smile twitch at the corner of his lips. This guy's smile was infectious. "Nice to meet you too."

Coming up from behind Rick and clapping him again on the shoulder, Kuu grinned at the two of them. "Rick is an old friend from the CIA. We've all worked together more than a dozen times."

"And he was only a cute little teenager when we started," Juliena interjected, reaching forward to pinch Rick by the cheek. "He was still as good as any agent twice his age!"

"Now, he's all grown up," Kuu finished. The pride beaming off his father's face at this man stirred a feeling of disquiet in Kuon's stomach.

But Rick simply waved the Hizuri's away. He cocked his head to the side and regarded Kuon. "Don't listen to these guys. They're talking about ancient history. You ready to go, kid?"

Kuon blinked. "Go?"

"Actually, Rick…" Kuu stepped forward, rubbing the back of his head. "We hadn't gotten to talk to Kuon about it yet."

"Talk to me about what?" The teen frowned, instantly on guard.

"Now, Kuon," Juliena swept to his side, kneeling to look up at him. "It's going to be a great opportunity. Rick has agreed to take you along with him on his missions to shadow."

"Shadow?!"

"Yeah," Rick threw Kuon a big thumbs up. "I'm in the CIA division that shuts down international smuggling."

"Smuggling?!"

…But that was so...so…

"It's not boring!" Rick interjected, wagging a finger at him. Kuon eyed him skeptically. The dark-haired man's shoulders slumped. Clearly, he was familiar with this conversation. He repeated dejectedly, "It's not boring!"

"Kuon," Kuu placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "This could be a great opportunity for you to gain some experience in the field. Who knows! With this under your belt, maybe the recruit program will reconsider you next year."

His gaze sliding down and away, Kuon stepped back from his dad's hand. They just decided this on their own. If he did this, then he would just be walking right into the trap of those stuffy suited bastards. The recruiters would be right. He wouldn't get anywhere without his parents' help.

'You think you can do whatever you want just because your parents are Kuu and Juliena?'

"Hey, kid."

Rick's voice snapped Kuon out of his reverie. Glancing up, Kuon was confused because the man was no longer standing in front of him.

"Stop over-thinking it."

Behind him?

But before Kuon could whirl around, a cloth was shoved against his mouth and nose. An acrid whiff of chemicals met his sharp, surprised inhale.

Instantly, Kuon felt his knees buckle. With his last inkling of strength, he reached out to grasp the hand under the cloth, twisting his arm sharply – a move his father had taught him to break an abductor's fingers.

The man – Rick? – merely parried, swiftly grasping Kuon's own arm and forcing him to drop his grip on the fingers. Strong arms caught him before he fell.

"Heh, that's a nice move kid." An infectious grin swam in the air. Like the Cheshire Cat.

"Take care of him, Rick." Dad…?

"Of course! If anything happens, it'd be over my dead body–"

Darkness.

-x-

Rattling, jostling. Bumpy. The ground was bumpy. But not like it had bumps, but that it went bump, bump, bump… Up and down.

Wasn't there something he was forgetting? It was important, right…? Everything was dark, but… it was important. What was it again?

A small girl in a white dress crouched at the bank of a crystal stream. She glanced up and instantly caught sight of him. He loved the way just his presence could spark that smile across her face.

'Co~rn!'

Gasping, Kuon woke. He was lying on some kind of carpeted floor, but it was bobbing up and down… Not rhythmically like an ocean but rapidly jostling, like a car on a road. He raised his head slowly, fighting against a wave of minor nausea and disorientation before sitting up completely. Some kind of central aisle was clear, but on two sides, electronic panels housing dozens of buttons and dials boxed him in. Wires protruded from the panels and tangled in messy piles on the carpet.

"Where…?"

Straight ahead were a pair of white, metal doors. Glancing behind him, Kuon noticed the back of a row of car seats. So he was in a car? A van?

As if reading his thoughts, a voice called out, "Oh? You're finally awake?"

Bumping his head on the roof of the van as he stood, Kuon made his way to the front of the car, swaying with the vehicle as it jounced along the road. He steadied himself on the headrests before peering into the van's cab.

The passenger seat was empty. In the driver's seat sat a dark-haired man with a loud, floral-print shirt.

Suddenly everything clicked.

Kuon stumbled back a step. "K-K-Kidnapper!"

Rick – if that was even his real name – sighed. "Calm down, kid."

Pointing a shaking finger at his abductor, Kuon stammered out, "I will not be calm! How dare you take me from my own house! How did you steal me past my parents? What did you do to them?"

"Like I said," Rick continued, his voice growing slightly peeved. "Just calm down. Everyone's fine."

"I'm not fine!" Kuon yelped as he tripped sideways when Rick took a particularly hard right turn.

"Hmm? Oh yeah!"

Something was tossed over the seat. On instinct, Kuon caught it. The plastic wrap of the mystery item crinkled in his hands as he turned it over. It was a squishy black triangle with squiggly lettering on the wrapping's label. Kuon couldn't read the label as it was clearly written in another language.

"What is this?"

Rick piped up. "Breakfast! I took you before you could finish your food this morning. Besides–" he held up a stuffed plastic supermarket bag "–we needed snacks for our stakeout."

"Stakeout?" Cautiously, Kuon opened the plastic packaging and sniffed inside. He immediately recoiled. What the–?

"Yeah," Rick responded as he produced his own triangle package and ripped it open with his teeth. "Japanese gang in Little Tokyo is smuggling fake contraband. We're just observing them for now. Seeing if we can draw out the big fish."

"Speaking of fish…" Kuon muttered, eyeing the offensive 'food' item in his hands.

Rick glanced back at him. "What? Don't like spicy fish roe? I'll trade you. This one's pickled plum!" He dangled his triangle behind him toward Kuon.

"Pickled… plum?!" Kuon balked. Those two words just didn't seem to go together. What was it? An oxymoron?

"What? Don't want to trade?" Rick shrugged and brought the triangle back to his mouth. Kuon watched in sick fascination as the man took an enthusiastic bite. "Geez, it's just onigiri. You'd think that you weren't even half Japanese the way you're acting."

"Onigiri?" Kuon repeated. "Like rice balls?"

Cautiously, he peeled back the green-black covering. Lo-and-behold, there was rice after all. Kuon supposed that the green-black layer was seaweed then.

"You've never had onigiri before?" Rick called out. "What has Kuu been doing? He's a shame to all us Japanese-Americans!"

"Dad's riceballs don't look anything like this!"

There was a pensive pause, then Rick muttered something that sounded like, "Yeah, Kuu's onigiri probably look like bowling balls or something."

Kuon froze. So that wasn't how rice balls were supposed to look?

Then Kuon shook his head, clearing his thoughts. This guy had just come in and swept him up at his own pace! What the hell?

"Hey! Don't go changing the subject!" Scrambling to his feet again, Kuon popped his head between the two headrests. He pointed an accusing finger at Rick. "You still kidnapped me! Take me back home!"

"I can't."

Spluttering, Kuon demanded, "What?! Why not?!"

A grin ghosted across Rick's lips. "'Cause we're here."

With that, Rick stepped heavily on the brakes. Kuon, caught off guard, toppled forward through the gap in the seats. He ended up with his body partially wedged between them.

Rick merely put the van into park and laughed heartily as he watched Kuon squirm and struggle to dig himself out from between the chairs.

Irked, Kuon just pointed a finger at the man. "Child endangerment! That's what this is!"

His laughter tapering off, Rick wiped a tear from one eye. "C'mon kid. You can't have the best of both worlds. Either you stay a kid or get to grow up into a man."

Pouting as he finally plopped back onto the floor of the van, Kuon crossed his arms and glared at his captor. But Rick's smile and the ridiculous situation prompted a small quirk to cross the teen's lips.

"Fine! Then, quit calling me 'kid!'"

Rick blinked a moment before a slow grin spread over his face. "Well, sure thing then, Kuon."

-x-

"So this gang is just smuggling fake – what? – Watches? Purses? Does the CIA even take care of that stuff?" Kuon griped, but still followed Rick's directions to pull on the bulky headphone set. "Who cares?"

"Who cares?" Rick was running the cord from Kuon's headset to a bank of panels. The CIA agent paused, reading labels for a moment before finding the correct slot for the plug. "Well, our government for one. You know – the government you so desperately want to work for."

Unamused, Kuon just shot Rick a flat look.

Oblivious, Rick continued on, settling in to his own seat next to Kuon and plugging in his own headset. "The Japanese government also wants to shut down the operation. Good relations with the U.S. and all that."

Watching Rick press the power button on the monitor before them, Kuon just sunk further into his seat. He muttered to himself. "You lied. This is definitely going to be boring."

"It's not boring!" Rick shot back, fiddling with a knob on the side of the monitor as the picture came onscreen. "Plus, I promised I'd bring you back to your parents safe and sound. Do you think I would really bring you to a dangerous place on our first outing?"

It made sense. But still… Shooting the agent a sulky glance, Kuon straightened up in his seat as he watched the monitor.

At first, Kuon thought it was just running footage of an outdoor café, but oddly the frame bobbed and weaved, occasionally tilting slightly up and down. Then, a woman's hand came into view, reaching out to pick up the teacup on the little table in front of her. Kuon realized he was watching footage from a hidden body-cam of sorts.

On Kuon's left, Rick had finished hooking up his equipment and brought the wrap-around mic of his headset down to his mouth. "Romeo to Tango, sorry I'm late."

The camera ducked down as the woman's hand came up with the teacup. Over his headphones, Kuon heard a woman's voice, obviously annoyed.

"So nice of you to finally join us, Romeo."

"Just wanted to make sure you got your daily caffeine first. Wouldn't want you in a bad mood," Rick bantered back. "You ready?"

"Thought you'd never ask." The woman stood, the camera bobbing with her motion as she stooped to place a couple of bills on the table before exiting the café. Judging by the height, Kuon guessed that the camera was hidden in a necklace.

As the woman walked down a series of streets, Rick cupped a hand over his mic and turned to Kuon to explain. "The Feds tipped us off to this little operation a few months back. It was too… international for their jurisdiction, so they handed it over to us."

Still confused, Kuon tipped his head to the side. "I thought the FBI was in charge of counterfeit goods…"

"Well…" Then Rick's eyes caught movement onscreen and he turned, bringing his mic back down.

'Tango' had arrived at the entrance of a grimy, hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant in the heart of Little Tokyo. Her hand came out to pull open the door and a chime sounded over her head as she entered the establishment. A hunched-over, elderly Asian woman stood at a counter near the door, and she gave the agent a once-over. Smiling she bowed and came out from behind the counter, pointing with a crooked finger to the empty tables.

"Table for one?" She asked in heavily accented English, bobbing her head agreeably.

"Actually," the undercover agent responded as she leaned over to whisper to the old woman, "I'm here to see Saifu-san."

Without a shred of hesitation, the old woman bowed her head and smiling, motioned behind herself to the kitchen double doors. Playing along, the agent bowed at the waist before continuing through the empty restaurant to the kitchen.

As the woman pushed through the double doors, Kuon noted that the kitchen was also essentially empty. A sullen-looking man stood at a sink in the back and washed dishes. The man glanced up when Tango entered. Bowing slightly in respect, the agent murmured a questioning, "Saifu-san?"

The man merely pointed to a wooden door, warped from the steam of the kitchen and half-hidden behind boxes of styrofoam cups and take-out containers. Then he went back to washing dishes.

Striding across the kitchen, the woman's gaze went down and Kuon watched her hand turn the flimsy metal handle as she opened the door and squeezed behind the boxes.

At first the monitor went dark as the camera struggled to adjust its brightness settings to accommodate for the sudden low light. As the camera shifted, Kuon could make out that the woman was walking down a dirty concrete staircase to some lower level of the building.

Eventually the staircase let out into a short, dark hallway with a metal door at the end. The woman rapped her knuckles against it, the echoes clanging ominously in the enclosed space. Kuon wasn't even there, but he still felt claustrophobic.

After a few moments, the door opened a crack, limited by a chain lock on the other side. A partial face peered out at the woman, giving her a quick up and down glance. Apparently, the face liked what it saw, because the door shut, and Kuon heard a muffled rattle as the chain was unhooked.

As the door swung open, Kuon swallowed a knot in his throat, suddenly nervous for this unknown agent. She stepped through the door, her heels clacking on the concrete floor. Greeting her on the other side was the doorkeeper, a scruffy Asian man of average height wearing jeans and an ill-fitting black t-shirt. He avoided eye contact and bobbed his head in a hasty bow before ushering the woman into the room.

Inside the room bustled a handful of raggedly dressed Asian women and men. One of the women, dressed more pristinely than the others broke away from her task and approached the agent.

Playing the part of a rich American consumer, Tango giggled nervously. "Hello. I – uh – was referred here by one of my friends? She said you have the best Prada bags for the best prices?"

"Yes, good price. Very cheap." The middle-aged lady hurriedly nodded her head and shooed the agent toward a seat at the only table in the room, a rickety wooden affair with a wad of newspapers stacked under one of the legs to balance it.

"Personal? Retail? Wholesale?" The woman asked brusquely before turning to bark orders in an unknown language at her workers who began pulling a myriad of purses and watches and sunglasses to put on the table in front of the agent.

Surprisingly, Kuon noted that the agent stayed upright to pan the camera over the room of workers instead of focusing on the contraband in front of her. The agent responded smoothly, "Retail. Boutiques on Rodeo Drive and Sunset Boulevard."

"Mmmm," the other woman mused. She pushed a series of purses at the agent.

Kuon continued to watch as the two women haggled over items and prices, the agent choosing three purses, five wallets, and two pairs of sunglasses before the woman had one of her workers come and bundle up the purchases. The agent counted out a stack of cash before thanking the woman and collecting her goods. She took one last slow pan of the room before turning and walking past the door guard and up the stairs to the restaurant.

As Tango bowed to the elderly restaurant hostess and exited the building back into the sunlight, Kuon let out a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. Beside him, he heard Rick similarly let out a small sigh of relief. The two turned to each other and grinned briefly.

Rick nodded his head at the video monitor. "Not so boring. Eh, Kuon?"

A bit grudgingly, Kuon shrugged but couldn't suppress his smile. "Not bad."

Then the woman spoke over their headsets. "Romeo, Kilo, tail check."

Cursing under his breath, Rick scooted his chair over to another monitor, flipping through a series of camera feeds until he got to one that showed a fish-eye view at street level. Probably from a commandeered ATM camera, Kuon guessed as he tried to lean over to see.

On the new monitor, Kuon watched a woman with long blonde hair wearing a dark-colored blazer stride straight past the camera angle. After a few harrowing seconds, Kuon watched as a man in a pair of ragged jeans and a black t-shirt walked past the camera as well. The doorkeeper from the restaurant!

Kuon's heart leapt into his throat. Panicked and helpless, he glanced back at the feed from the woman's camera. It was bobbing up and down slightly faster as if she had picked up the pace to a brisk walk.

"Tango," Rick spoke urgently into his mic, "you've got a tail. We're going with Trapdoor 6."

"Trapdoor 6," the woman echoed the order, her voice faintly winded as she quickened her pace.

"Kilo, Trapdoor 6?" Rick asked, pressing his hand to his headphones. Frowning, Rick repeated again more insistently, "Kilo, confirm. Trapdoor 6."

Something was apparently going wrong. With a sinking feeling, Kuon watched the woman's feed as she turned a corner around the back of a building off the main road. She made another turn, and suddenly found herself in the middle of a dark, dead-end alley. Cursing, she turned around swiftly.

The black-shirted man stood blocking the only exit.

-x-

Japanese Notes:

Oya-baka – The phrase that describes Kuu when he goes into his "dumb father" mode, just rambling on and on about his son's good points and remaining intentionally blind to his downsides.

Pickled plum – These are pretty good! Very good with onigiri!

Onigiri – Triangle riceballs you often see in bento boxes

Saifu – purse or wallet

-x-

MAILBAG – Every chapter upload, I choose the 5 most interesting reviews and reply to them here. :)

Shizuhoe - Does any election ever make anyone feel good? Haha Politics is one of those things that riles everyone up. Hope you liked the first part of Ren's back story here! :D Thanks as always Shizuhoe!

A Musing Brunette - Three reviews at once! It's like Christmas! Thanks for going out of your way to leave a review, even though you're not feeling very well. Hope you're feeling better now! As for the most recent manga chapter, I agree that it's nice that Kyoko isn't tormented anymore thinking Kimiko is interested in Ren. Any theories as to WHO she is crushing on? My bet is on Koga! I did hear an interesting theory about how someone thinks she may be after Sho. And yes, I agree that Kimiko is going to take action soon; I think that Erika's request to her 3rd jewel servant was to physically protect Kyoko. Just my own theory :3 Thanks again Musing Brunette! May your musings be free from illness!

brennakai - Your review made me smile so much! Thank you for your encouragement and just enjoying the story. I was feeling low on writer's motivation, so I re-read your review to power through the end of ch31 (which you guys will see in a few weeks ;)). Still unpacking, but it's getting there. I can finally see my living room floor, so I guess that counts for something! As for whether Kimiko recognized Agent M & T as Sigma and Chi, she technically has never met Sigma and Chi (Setsu and Cain), so she hasn't been able to out them. As for the political landscape, yeah I was doing a little bit of parody of our online media-driven world. Shouting matches based on biased and limited information have replaced thorough research and intelligent conversation. It's really scary times. :/ Thanks so much for being my angst barometer! Glad it didn't get too dark or too silly! I was really wrestling with the balance there... Haha Thanks again x a million brennakai!

HoshiNoTsuya - Kyoko kiss Ren? In Skip Beat? Hah! Just kidding. I'm definitely having a kiss scene at the end of my fic! Why else would you all be here?! To see our impatient fantasies played out! Thanks for the praise and encouragement as well. It's always reassuring to know that I'm not butchering the characters and that they are at least somewhat believable. ;) As for Saena, you'd be correct in that I won't have her in the "b****y mom role", especially since Nakamura-sensei herself seems to be moving her out of that box. Really glad you've enjoyed it so far and looking forward to hearing your thoughts as the ending draws nearer and nearer. Thanks HoshiNoTsuya!

MWEH - I like how the translation came out like the day after I posted and you left your review. It was definitely more delayed this past month than usual! Hopefully Dec is right on time! Thanks for the tip on fixing my Word. I think it fixed itself? *shrugs* Who knows why or how that happened... Lol As for Kyoko knowing what Toudou looks like, good point! I had actually forgotten about that (lol plot holes), but it kind of still makes sense because Kyoko was so fixated on her mother that Toudou just seemed like another faceless politician leaving the room at that point. And lol, sad your review got cut in half! Hope you enjoy reading these flashback chapters as much as I've enjoyed writing them! Thanks for the reassurance that the angst:silly line was toed but not crossed one way or the other! :) Thanks MWEH!

Aikori Ichijouji - Yay! All caught up! I've also been missing the update emails on some of the fics I'm following so maybe it's an internal technical issue with ? And maybe I'm just drawing out the Delta reveal to mess with y'all! Muahaha! Just kidding - I was actually going to reveal it sooner than I have currently planned, but figured it might work out better if the reader finds out at the same time as our dynamic duo... Or it might be worse. LOL We shall see! Thanks Aikori! I saw that you started a new story! I still need to read your latest one. :3

-x-

Thank you all so, so much for your reviews, faves, and alerts! Keep them coming! Almost to 200 reviews! :D Woohoo!