To CodeDweller: Luka gaining Tomoe's approval seemed like the right place to go with this! I haven't seen the special yet; I'm not sure where to find it. Or at least that won't give my computer a virus.

To Butterfly: Thanks!

"Seriously, bro. If you ever get my sister hurt again and you don't call me, I will kick your ass!"

Kagami raised an eyebrow at Juleka on the video call. Beside her Luka grimaced, running a hand through his hair. "Oh, you will?" Kagami asked, smirking in amusement and leaning into Luka's side on their hotel room bed. Their flight wasn't scheduled to leave until the evening, so they were staying at the hotel until they would have to check out, when they would go to visit her aunt and cousins.

Juleka shrugged, quirking an eyebrow at her. "I've been paying attention." She eyed Kagami. "What, are you going to stop me?"

Kagami placed her uninjured hand on Luka's chest. "I mean, I kind of like your brother, you know…"

"Oh, don't worry: there won't be any permanent damage…" Juleka promised ominously. She turned her death-glare on Luka again. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I really wanted to," Luka told her, "but with the timing of–"

"I don't care!" Juleka huffed. "Anytime you call, I will–"

"–'You' will?" interjected Rose, sticking her head in the video and pursing her lips at Juleka.

"–'We' will be there," Juleka amended. "As fast as Pegasus can open a portal."

"I didn't realize we might need the help until it was too late," Luka protested, holding up his hands. "We thought we could handle it with just the three of us; if it had just been Okamura and a bunch of regular guys, we could have taken care of it. The only reason we had any trouble was because the Kami-gumi were there, too. And by the time we knew that, it was too late to call for backup. Do you really think you could have gotten to Pegasus and gotten here in less than five minutes?"

"I guess now we'll never know," Juleka retorted. Rose placed her hand on Juleka's shoulder, squeezing it consolingly.

"I'm okay, Jules," Kagami told her gently, wrapping her arm around Luka's waist. "Really. Luka got us out of there in one piece."

"Your arm's still in two pieces," Juleka pointed out dubiously. She sighed heavily, her eyes softening. "I'm glad you're both okay."

Luka nodded fervently. "Me, too. We'll see you tomorrow – or in two days, as it were."

"Love you guys!" Rose waved as the call ended.

Luka let out a breath and slid his phone back into his pocket, lying back on the bed and pulling Kagami down next to him. She rolled onto her side, her cast pinned between them, still immobilized against her chest. Longg flew across the room from the dresser and curled around her bicep, just above the fracture. He had assured her that her miraculous would accelerate the healing process slightly, though he hadn't given any indication of just how much faster it might happen. Marinette had offered to try healing it entirely with Miraculous Ladybug, but Kagami had told her rejected it: her family already knew about the injury, so it would look suspicious if Ladybug actually healed it for her. As it was, Rena Rouge would use Mirages to show Ryoku on patrol in Paris while Kagami recovered in order to prevent anyone from connecting their injuries.

That didn't exactly make up for the pins-and-needles sensation of her bone healing, but…

Luka chuckled quietly. "You know, when I introduced Ryoku and Bengalia last year, I wasn't expecting this…"

Kagami smiled and kissed his cheek. "You didn't expect us to get along?"

"Get along, yes," he replied, "though maybe not this well. But I mean this. The two of you getting along like sisters."

She raised an eyebrow. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Definitely not," he assured her, pressing his lips against her forehead.

She hummed. "I never had a sister, so I guess I can't say I know what it's like – aside from friends like Juleka and Rose and Marinette."

"I'm glad Mom and Juleka like you so much," Luka commented, shifting his arm so her head could rest on his shoulder.

Three hours later, after they had packed their few possessions – most of what they had brought was still in police impound as evidence, and Luka had only purchased enough clothing and toiletries to see them through the rest of the trip – they checked out of their hotel room and caught a taxi to an apartment building on the far side of the city. Kagami leaned into Luka's side, rubbing her wrist absently. "Thank you for taking care of everything," she whispered.

He gave her a small smile and hugged her shoulders. "It's the least I could do," he replied as they stepped out of the car and he collected their bag. "After your uncle…" She tensed. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "No… it's okay."

Luka led the way inside and up the elevator to an apartment near the middle of the building. As they stepped out, Kagami glanced up to see a small security camera set into a corner of the ceiling with a view of both the stairs and the elevator. Another camera on the far end of the hallway covered the emergency stairs. Seeing where she was looking, Luka quietly explained, "There are a couple more watching the exterior. Shiro has the code for them."

Kagami nodded and knocked twice on the correct apartment. The door opened a moment later, and her Obasan pulled her into a hug, pinning her arm between them and dragging her inside. The apartment itself was sparsely furnished, with only a handful of personal effects from Kimiko's apartment. A painting on the wall showed Ojisan, Obasan, Kimiko, and Shiro standing in front of the Skytree. On the opposite wall was another painting with just Kimiko and Ojisan. Kagami clenched her jaw and hugged Obasan tighter. Luka followed them inside and quietly shut the door. Kimiko and Shiro looked up from their positions sitting on the couch.

"I am so glad to see you both before you leave," Obasan told her, gesturing toward the couch. Kagami took a seat between her cousins while Luka pulled out a chair from the small kitchen table. "After everything that happened… family is important. I… I don't know where we would be, were it not for you and your friend in Paris."

"Happy to help," Luka assured her, smiling. Once they had explained to Ladybug what they needed, Pegasus had opened a new account from which Luka had rented the apartment. Luka hadn't told her where the money for the account had come from, but she had her suspicions.

"My roommate wasn't too happy about me moving out," Kimiko noted, frowning. She looked at Obasan. "But under the circumstances, I… think I need to be here. Oh!" She jumped up and raced out of the room. A couple minutes later she returned with a poster tube and handed it to Luka. "I needed something to do the other day, so…"

Luka unrolled the poster and his eyes widened. He turned it around to show Kagami a hand-painted poster showing the two of them, with Luka playing the guitar while she watched. "Thank you," he told her earnestly.

Kimiko sighed. "I wish… I wish the circumstances were different. But it was good meeting you."

"Likewise."

"We were lucky that the Heroes of Paris happened to be in town last week," Obasan began slowly. "I don't know what would have happened otherwise."

Kagami eyed her calmly. "That was very lucky, wasn't it?"

Kimiko frowned. "Pity they couldn't stop you getting hurt, cousin." Her shoulders slumped. "Or save Father."

Luka shrugged, his eyes drifting from Kagami to Shiro and back. "I'm sure they did the best they could."

Shiro gave them an evaluating look and glanced at the clock. "May I drop you off at the airport?" he asked.

As they walked through Narita International Airport, Kagami leaned into Luka's side, allowing him to support more of her weight with his arm around her shoulders, dragging their small suitcase behind him with his other hand. Long was curled up on her arm inside the sling, a quiet, comforting presence. Shiro walked a little distance apart from them, though he hadn't said anything since they left.

Finally, just outside the security gate, Kagami turned to her cousin and broke the silence. "Thanks for coming with us," she told him.

He nodded quietly, his mouth working as though trying to say something.

"I–I'm sorry about Ojisan."

Shiro's shoulders drooped and he looked down at the floor, a firm set to his mouth. "Yeah," he finally whispered. "I am, too."

Kagami shrugged Luka's arm off her shoulder and crossed the space between them, hugging Shiro with her good arm. Shiro stiffened but slowly placed his hand on her back. Moments later, she felt Luka wrap his arms around them both. "If there's anything I can do, let me know," she told Shiro, squeezing gently.

He nodded and released her. "Thanks." He chuckled humorlessly. "You've done more than enough already."

Kagami furrowed her brows in confusion. "What are you going to do now?"

Shiro shrugged. "The business is gone. The Yakuza swept in and took it over last week – before Father was even buried," he added bitterly. "Our reputation is in shambles. All that's left for me now is Mother and Kimiko." His eyes took on a hard look. "And the Yakuza. I will take them down once and for all after this."

Beside her, Luka raised an eyebrow in concern. Kagami looked up at him, and he nodded, his face relaxing. She let out a breath and squeezed Shiro's shoulder. "If you need anything, call me."

"Thanks," he whispered. He raised an eyebrow. "And not just for that offer; thank you both for helping me after… Father. I–I know what it cost."

Luka's breath caught in his throat. "I… have no idea what you mean."

Shiro stared hard at Luka. "I know."

Kagami quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "You know?"

He nodded. "I suspected it after that first day – when we sparred, a couple of your moves felt too familiar. You were far too greatly affected by it to be some random person off the street. And your story about just happening to both be out of the house was a little too convenient. And the fact that two Heroes of Paris just happened to rescue me when I knew of two Parisians who just happened to be in town at the same time…" He gave Luka a look and held out his hand. When Luka took the offered hand, Shiro pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for saving my life. I won't forget it."

"You're welcome," Luka replied, embracing him back.

Shiro released him and stepped back, placing a little more distance between them. "Now, you take good care of my cousin," Shiro warned him, the corner of his mouth turning up into a tiny smile.

"Always," Luka promised, wrapping his arm around Kagami protectively. He pressed his lips to her forehead, and she snuggled into his side.

Shiro was just turning away when Kagami called out, "Wait!" He turned with a curious look on his face. "If everything's out in the open," she began hesitantly, "can we let our friends know about you?"

He cocked his head in confusion. "Why?"

"The Heroes of Paris have groups around Europe that we work with," she explained. "We can always use more friends. And this way if you ever run into trouble here on your own, you can call them for backup."

Shiro shrugged. "Why not?"

After making it safely through security, Kagami allowed Luka to lead her through the terminal to their gate, where they found three empty seats next to each other. Luka placed their suitcase on one, along with his coat, and insisted that she lie down across the seats while he found them something for dinner. Once he returned, he took the suitcase's spot and shifted her head onto his lap, resting his hand on her side.

"Do you think Adrien and Marinette will appreciate us 'recruiting' an ally in Japan?" he asked, popping a piece of sushi in her mouth. "It's a bit far for a visit, after all."

"And Australia isn't?" she retorted, raising an eyebrow. "With the portals, distance really doesn't matter, does it?" she added. "Besides, all evidence to the contrary, Japan really is a nice country."

Luka smiled, running his fingers through her hair. "With the right company."