Chapter 12 – When the Smoke Clears…

"See you in hell…Tachibana-teme…"

"I have to admit…the kid's got style."

Kimiko giggled aloud as she squirmed in the lap of her lover. The two had just finished watching Ranmaru's grisly assassination at the hands of the disguised Kyoshiro, and the mood in the darkened living room was running pretty high, "What did I tell you?! Ooohhh…I think I got a little wet watching that."

The shadowed man looked down into his lap, chuckling as he noticed that his lover had indeed gotten somewhat "excited" after watching the Mononobe heir at work, "Yea, I can see that…not that I blame you," he glanced back up at Kimiko's playful blue eyes, "You weren't kidding when you told me this guy was serious. After seeing that...well…call me convinced."

"So does that mean you want to meet him now?" Kimiko asked demurely, snaking her arms around the man's neck and bringing herself closer to him, her breasts pressing against his chest, "I probably should have suggested this sooner, but I was still a bit skeptical about his ability to help you until now."

"Eh, you were being cautious. Don't worry about it," the man replied airily, dismissing the notion that she had done something wrong by not introducing him to the avenger sooner, "But now that I know what the kid's capable of…I think he just might be the key I was looking for to really put an end to those bastards."

The gorgeous assassin smirked, "He's the key alright. With his training and that devilish mind of his, boya- kun makes for the perfect killing machine to exterminate those pompous fools. I really do need to think of a way to thank him for this," she paused for a moment, a small sad smile creeping onto her lips, "…Riika and her family can finally be at peace."

"I bet she would've kissed that guy for what he did," the hacker reassured, hugging the red-haired beauty closer to him, "That was a nasty toy he used…I wonder if he has more?"

"Knowing him? He probably has a whole chest of them somewhere…or at least, his assistant does," Kimiko waved a hand in the air dismissively, "Chances are he's probably saving the more destructive stuff for later. I know he has a plan for the rest of Minato-teme's line in the works."

The man's gaze shifted back to the TV screen, where the cameras showed the doomed Ranmaru writhing in agony as his body was burned by white phosphorus before the device detonated, destroying the room and the cameras in a burst of static, "Well…if he's already working on taking out the rest, I guess I better be a good sempai and give him a hand."

"I'll arrange that tomorrow…but first," Kimiko let her statement hang in the wind for a moment as she deftly undid her lacy bra, "I'm still burning up from that little show…you're going to have your work cut out for you tonight, Lawliet-kun."

Lawliet smirked as he hungrily eyed the red-headed beauty's supple breasts being freed of their confines, the twin globes bouncing enticingly, "Please…you say that like it's a bad thing. Now come here and let me take care of my little kunoichi…she's been such a bad girl…"

"No…..it's not….it's n-not possible…."

Minato Tachibana could only stare in horror at the sight that lay on the bed in the morgue of Tokyo General Hospital. It was about five in the morning, merely an hour after the firefighters had managed to get the flames that had consumed Tensai under control enough to dig for any survivors.

Not long after, they had found Ranmaru.

…or at least, what was left of him.

"Damn little brother…you stupid, stupid, STUPID IDIOT!" Rikimaru screamed, banging his fist against the wall so hard it left a deep indent. Tears streamed from his eyes unabated, the teen unable to bear the sight of the burnt, mangled remains of the youngest triplet. On the far side of the room, Ichimaru gazed at the macabre sight as well, his face set in a stony expression.

"…we warned him…we told him it was a bad idea…" the middle triplet whispered to himself, although his voice was easily picked up in the large, empty room, "…he wanted to be bait…said he would catch the bastard and make him pay…so much for that."

Minato fell to his knees, clutching at the table where his youngest rested. His breathing became erratic, and one hand gripped his chest, where he could feel his heart beating wildly. His personal guards came up to him to help the man back to his feet, but he pushed them away forcefully, "Don't touch me you idiots! Go contact the authorities and get them to put their best detectives to work immediately! I WANT THIS MURDERER FOUND BEFORE SUNSET!"

"At once, Minato-sama!" the bodyguards saluted before hastily exiting the morgue, leaving Minato with his two sons. Seeing that Rikimaru was far too overcome with rage, Ichimaru stepped towards his father, "…is there anything you want us to do, Tou-san?"

The grieving Fifth Pillar reached out with a single arm towards his son, who immediately placed it over his shoulder and helped his father to his feet, "…Ichimaru…will you…will you call your mother…let Yurina-chan know that….know that…"

Ichimaru nodded, seeing his father unable to finish the sentence as he began to weep bitterly, "I got it. I'll help you get to the car and then I'll call Kaa-san."

Taking long, trudging steps in order to maintain balance, the fox-eyed triplet moved his father to the door. Before leaving, he glanced back at his fuming older brother, "Rikimaru…you gonna be ok here?"

"…I'll be fine. Get dad back to the compound. If you're calling mother, then I'll call Ruumari-aniki."

"Got it."

With one last look, Ichimaru helped Minato to the elevator and out of the hospital to the car. Rikimaru waited until he heard the car drive off before walking over to the corpse of his brother. By now, the stench of burnt flesh and blood had mostly dissipated, but the stern elder triplet still caught hints of it in his nose.

"…Look what scumbag did to you, Ran," he whispered as he ran a hand over his brother's burnt face, wincing as he felt some of the skin peel away. According to the firefighters that found him, Ranmaru's body had been pinned to a chair with kunai in his knees. The handles of the blades had been so badly burnt, there was no way to get fingerprints from them to identify the killer. The doctors had also determined that the majority of the burns on Ranmaru's body were caused by a chemical agent, not just the flames themselves. Despite knowing the murder was a result of foul play, there were still plenty of questions left.

Questions Rikimaru intended to get answers for, no matter the cost.

"Don't worry little brother," he growled as he held Ranmaru's blackened hand, "I WILL find the bastard that did this…and when I do…he'll beg for death before I'm through with him…"

The loud banging of someone knocking on his door instantly roused Keitaro from his sleep, the landlord springing up from his futon with a hand immediately moving towards his sword next to him, "What?! What is it?! Who's there?!"

"Wake up, Urashima-san!" came the harried voice of Motoko through the shogi door, "There is a special report on the news! Something has happened in downtown Tokyo!"

Shaking his head clear of the lingering grogginess, Keitaro set his blade back down and took a few breaths to calm himself. After last night's activities, the avenger had found it difficult to sleep, and when he did, he ended up dreaming of that white void again where the "soul" of his sister dwelled.

"She gave me another warning about the curse," he whispered to himself as he walked over to the door, "...I'll just have to look into it later."

Sliding the door open, Keitaro came face to face with an impatient looking Aoyama, "What's this about a special report?"

"Just come with me, the others are already downstairs," the taciturn kendo girl turned and walked briskly towards the stairs, Keitaro following quickly behind her. When they arrived at the main room, the landlord saw the rest of the residents huddled together on the sofa, all with wide eyes and disbelieving expressions. On the television screen in front of them, a news reporter was standing in front of what appeared to be the smoking ruins of a large building in downtown Tokyo.

"…as you can see behind me, the once prominent and infamous night club known as Tensai has been reduced to a smoking ruin. Late last night, reports describe a scene of total carnage, as the entire second floor of this bustling haven of entertainment violently exploded, showering the streets and bystanders below with dust and burning debris."

Kitsune huffed sadly, "Awww, that's a damn shame. I heard that place was perfect for pickin up high-society fellas…"

"Quiet Kitsune," Motoko chided, getting the fox-eyed woman to clam up from the slightly commanding tone in her voice, "There is more to this report, and I would very much hate to miss it because of your complaining."

Keitaro eyed the raven-haired girl for a moment, taking note of how much attention she was paying to the news. He then glanced over at Naru, who seemed a bit lost about the whole thing.

Then Ranmaru's picture appeared on the screen.

"Regrettably, it has been confirmed that included among the 35 confirmed dead in this tragic incident was the newly established owner and proprietor of Tensai, Tachibana Ranmaru. Tachibana-sama was the youngest son of Imperial Guardian Matsue Division Captain and CEO of Akasuisei Munitions Inc., Tachibana Minato. The young Tachibana was found…"

The rest of the reporter's account was lost on Naru's ears as she focused on the picture shown on the screen, "…That's him…that's the bastard that attacked Mei!"

Kitsune nearly fell out of her seat as her eyes nearly bulged from their sockets, "Are you serious?! That kid was the one that tried to hurt your sister?!"

"I'll never forget that perverted, arrogant face," the brunette whispered harshly, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, "I can still remember his smirk as he left the precinct that day…"

"Well, it appears he will no longer hurt anyone ever again," Motoko reassured, sounding relieved herself, "Justice prevailed in the end."

Shinobu shivered, "S-S-Still…he d-died so horribly…i-i-is it really ok to be h-happy about this?"

The room went silent at the innocent girl's question. All of them glanced down at the floor, slowly pondering the same question.

All but one.

"Yes…I think being happy about this is justified this time, Shinobu-chan."

The blunette quickly looked over to the landlord, shocked at how callous he seemed to be about the whole thing, "B-b-but Sempai-"

"It is a very harsh truth in this world, and one that I wish you and Suu did not have to learn so soon," Keitaro began as he made his way over to the couch where most of the residents were seated, "but there are truly evil people in this world. People who think nothing of our laws, our sense of decency, our ethics. People who have power and have let that power corrupt them to the point that they view the world as their plaything, and completely disregard the lives of everyone they consider beneath them."

Kneeling in front of the frightened girl, the landlord gently took one of her small hands into his own, "While it's true that no one should ever have to die in such a fashion, and while it's true that no one should ever rejoice the death of another…there are times when truly hideous people must be removed from this world, if for no other reason than to protect others from becoming their future victims. Tachibana Ranmaru was one of those evil people, and I for one am glad that he's gone."

"…How? How can something like that…make you happy, Sempai?" Shinobu asked without stuttering a single word, a testament to how much she needed his answer. Keitaro didn't miss a beat, "I am happy because that trash being gone means that Naru's sister no longer has to live in fear. And just as importantly…it means you will never become one of his victims."

The blunette's eyebrows disappeared into her head as a furious blush came over her cheeks. Slowly releasing the young girl's hand, the landlord rose to his feet and looked at every single one of his residents, "That goes for all of you as well. If his death means that none of you will ever suffer from his perversions and violent crimes…then good riddance."

Everyone was taken aback at how serious Keitaro seemed, almost as the Tachibana's demise was personal to him somehow. While the others came to grips with his proclamation, the brown-haired young man knelt before Naru, and like Shinobu, held her hands into his own, "Mei is safe now, Naru-san. That bastard can never harm her again."

Her eyes widened in surprise, as if something just clicked within her mind, before the girl suddenly rushed forward into his arms and wept for joy, her arms embracing him as if he would disappear, "Thank goodness….thank goodness…."

Keitaro returned the embrace, holding the lovely brunette as close to him as he could while whispering gentle reassurances into her ear. The rest of the girls smiled at the tender scene, although something about watching the two struck an odd chord in the resident kendoka.

Unnoticed by the others, Keitaro's eyes briefly flashed red as a small, but vicious smirk came over his face as he whispered gently into Naru's ear, "I told you someone would eventually make him pay didn't I, Naru-chan?"

The brunette hiccupped before leaning back and looking at the landlord's face, which he had quickly shifted from his malicious expression to a tender smile. However, it was his eyes that held her attention. Though she knew there was absolutely no way Keitaro could have made good on his word personally(the mere thought of him as a bloodthirsty assassin almost made her laugh), there was something in his eyes that spoke to her. Compelled her. Seeing the report of Ranmaru's death had allowed her to breathe easy for the first time in days, but hearing it from her boyfriend seemed to finally drive the point home.

Mei was safe now. Her family was free.

She was free.

The smile she made was only a glimpse of her elation as she suddenly felt the need to do something, anything to express her happiness.

No one was prepared to see Naru suddenly lift her head and plant a deep kiss on Keitaro's lips, especially the man himself, who stared bug-eyed as the brunette proceeded to assault his mouth with her own.

"N-N-Naru?! What are you-mmph!" Keitaro tried to get a word in, but the elated brunette lunged forward and kissed him again, this time applying a liberal use of her tongue to explore inside his mouth.

"OH MY GAWD!"

"N-N-Naru-sempai…a-a-a-and Keitaro-sempai…auuuuuu!"

"Naru-sempai! What are you doing to Urashima-san?! S-S-Stop this at once, you are being indecent!"

"What's indecent? Does it taste good?!"

"So the assassin has resurfaced, I see…"

Granny Hina sighed as she looked out across the water. Currently, she and Kanako were staying at a small, but cozy cabin, located on the coast of Tanzania along Lake Tanganyika. It was an isolated enough area that she could train the talented, but feisty young Urashima in peace. Unfortunately for her, the call she was now engaged in with Haruka brought anything but peace.

"He did, and he really took the kid gloves off for this one," Haruka's voice was a low, slightly raspy timbre, but the slight tremor in her voice told the Urashima matriarch just how much the latest Tachibana murder had shaken her, "I didn't see pictures of the body…but from the descriptions I heard on the news, as well as some of the files I was able to sneak a peek at from my friend in the hospital…I think Tachibana Tomoko was the only one that probably got it the worst at this point."

Hina shivered. The memory of that particular Tachibana's assassination was one that she hoped would be lost to the confines of her mind forever. If this murder really had come close to matching her's…

"And what was Kyoshiro-kun's reaction to all this?" she said quietly, unwilling to rouse Kanako's curiosity as the girl was only a few feet away practicing her katas, "Has he shown any abnormal behavior at all?"

"No…he was pretty numb about it actually," Haruka recalled. She had headed up to the dorm as soon as she saw the news report, only to walk into a rather interesting scene, "To be honest, I think he was too busy trying to explain his and Naru's new relationship to the girls. It looked like they were grilling him pretty bad."

The diminutive old woman let off a bark of laughter, shocking Kanako out of her training stance, "Is that so?! Wonderful! It's about time that boy focused on something else other than his studies and his hatred."

"Yea…Kami knows the kid's earned some kind of happiness," Haruka sighed over the line, her adoptive mother's cheer catching on to her, "Still…there was something that struck me as a little off…"

"…I'm listening…"

"Well…Kitsune asked him a bit of an odd question," the tea shop owner began, doing her best to recall what she had overheard, "It went something along the lines of…"

"Hey Casanova," Kitsune began in a teasing, but curious tone as she watched Keitaro do his best to fend off the wild strikes of Motoko, the girl still accusing him of manipulating Naru somehow, "what ever happened to that part-time job of yours? Y'know, the chef gig you started last week?"

Keitaro managed to catch the pissed off kendoka's wooden blade in between his hands and stop it cold before turning to answer the resident fox, "Uh…you mean that job I had in the city? I was let go."

"Really now?!" the busty fox woman gasped, a hand held in front of her mouth in slight shock, "Why?! You cook almost about as well as Shinobu-chan!"

The landlord shrugged, still holding the bokken in place and angering Motoko even further, "It wasn't really anything I did. The place was just a start up to begin with. They had a horrible marketing strategy, and there were barely any customers. So naturally, it failed and they closed down in a week."

"S-So what do you plan to do now, Sempai?" Shinobu asked, the girl seeming a little sad at her not-so-secret-idol's recent bad luck. Seeing the expression on her face, Keitaro let go of the bokken and walked over to kneel in front of the blunette. Gently ruffling her hair, he gave Shinobu a grin, "No need to worry, Shinobu-chan. I got everything that I wanted out of that place. I was only working there to handle a couple unforseen expenses around here, so eventually I would have left, if not this week, then next week for sure."

"Does that mean Keitaro will be around to play more?!" an excited Suu asked before jumping onto the landlord's back. The young man laughed and straightened up while securing the girl's legs on his back with his arms, "Yes Suu, I'll be home a little more often. Although I don't know how long that will last. Your sempai is a busy man after all!"

"URASHIMA-TEME! PUT SUU DOWN NOW BEFORE YOU CORRUPT HER WITH YOUR FILTH AS WELL!"

"Oops! Looks like we have an angry kendo beast after us! Time to go, Suu-chan!" Keitaro laughed as he shot off towards the roof, an angry Motoko on his heels. Meanwhile, Naru was doing her best to endure Kitsune's unending stream of questions…and not fairing too well if the enormous blush on her face was any indication.

Hidden away from the commotion, Haruka stood leaning against the wall next to the main door, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed in contemplation.

'He had a part-time job as a chef in the city? Why? He has plenty with his fortune, so why would he need a temp gig?'

The chain smoker's eyes darted up the stairs where she saw Keitaro, Suu, and Motoko disappear, 'What have you been up to, Kyoshiro-kun?'

"…keep an eye on him," Hina's voice was low, but stern, and she could almost hear Haruka stand up straighter as she continued, "I don't think he would be up to anything improper, especially with his new duties and this new development with Naru-chan…but we must be certain…"

"You got it, granny. I'll let you know if anything else comes up."

"Good. Take care of yourself and the others in the meantime. I'll see you as soon as I can."

Turning off the phone, Hina glanced over to Kanako. The young Urashima had grown in leaps and bounds with her training over the past several months. The dark-haired girl was a true prodigy of the family arts, though it would be a very long time before she could ever match up to the one person she sought to equal more than anything.

'The lengths she would go to for that boy can be frightening at times,' the old woman thought as she sat down to meditate, 'But that is precisely why I must keep them apart for now…until that horrible hatred and desire for vengeance has left him.'

She took one last glance at the sky, the golden sun beginning to amble downward and turn the crystal blue waters of the lake orange with the light of dusk.

'Kyoshiro-kun…I pray the bad feeling I have has nothing to do with you…that curse you are tampering with has claimed too many already…'

Due to how heavily broadcasted Ranmaru's demise was, Minato and the rest of his kin decided to make his funeral a private affair in order to avoid the press. The remains had been cremated, albeit with some mixed feelings among the family, and the urn placed on a plush purple pillowed stand in the same hangar they had arrived in months ago. As per tradition of their clan, Ranmaru would be sent back to their main compound in Hakodate to be laid to rest with his ancestors.

Standing before the urn were only a few people, including Minato, Ichimaru, Rikimaru, and a few guards. Grasping onto Minato's arm was a middle-aged woman with black hair tied in an easy bun, with glacial blue eyes that were dimmed with despair. Everyone had been dressed in the traditional black funeral garb, and Ichimaru had even gone as far as to dye his odd purple bangs red for the sake of his parents.

As the Buddhist priest finished his final prayers and stepped off to the side, Minato stepped forward, his face set in a stern mask to hide his anguish. Placing his hand on the urn one last time, he spoke, "Tachibana Ranmaru…my youngest boy…was one of the greatest up and coming assassins we have ever had the honor to raise within our clan. Though he lacked experience, his potential for the clan arts was plain to see."

He took a moment to breath, already feeling the tears fighting to break free, "He was…he was also one of the best men…one of the best sons a father could ever ask for…despite his recklessness and brash attitude, he had a heart of gold when it came to his family…and a heart of ice when it came to our enemies. Unfortunately, his brashness and impulsive nature led to his demise. But I swear by every deity in this world…our clan will NEVER forget this heinous crime! The life of my youngest son will NOT be wasted, nor shall his murder go unpunished! The wretched, cowardly, merciless ANIMALS responsible will pay with their last breath for this!"

By the time he removed his hand from the urn, the mountain of a man was red-faced, tears streaming down unabashedly while his other hand was clenched into a fist that looked more like a club. Before he could lose himself to his overflowing emotions, the woman that had stood beside him gently grasped his clenched fist, "That was beautiful, anata. I know Ranmaru-kun would have loved it."

"Yurina-chan," Minato whispered, finally slumping as if the weight of the world had once again settled onto his shoulders, "I…I can't apologize to you enough…I promised you that our boys would be fine, and then I let THIS happen…!"

"You could not have known," Yurina tried to reassure him, gently rubbing his back, "None of us could have known the assassin would resurface so quickly…or that he would…he would…"

She was unable to finish the words before weeping anew, her sobs only getting louder when Minato held her against his hulking frame. Slowly, the two left the hanger, leaving only Ichimaru and Rikimaru standing before the urn.

"….I still can't believe he's actually gone…" Ichimaru began in a whisper, his face set in a blank expression, though the slight timbre in his voice exposed what he truly felt, "It's like…we only got here, what, barely two months ago? An' now…"

Rikimaru remained silent, but his burning gaze was focused solely on the urn where the ashes of his brother rested. After a few more moments of silence, the fox-eyed boy sighed, "Y'know…staring a hole at the urn isn't gonna bring him back…and neither will goin on some crazy revenge trip."

"…we should've made a plan…we never should have let him go alone," the elder triplet grunted out, eyes narrowing at the memory of the last time he saw his youngest brother alive, "we belittled him...called him a fool...but he was the only one that really wanted to do something about that damn assassin. Out of the three of us…his commitment to our dead kin to see them avenged was the strongest...and yet here we are..."

"Doesn't matter how strong he felt about avenging our fallen kin…poor execution is poor execution."

The two boys rounded on the newcomer, seeing none other than Kimiko slowly making her way towards them and the urn. Whilst Ichimaru remained unaffected, Rikimaru scowled, "What the hell are you doing here, gaijin?!"

Kimiko huffed in mock-hurt, "Is that really any way to greet someone who took time away from her latest mission to pay her deepest respects to her dearly departed cousin?"

"Dearly departed my ass! You both hated each other and wanted nothing more than to see the other burn in hell! You just never had the guts to do it yourself since you knew the minute you did, Heihachi-sama would gut you like a fish!" Rikimaru bellowed, his body shaking in barely repressed rage, "Consider yourself lucky with the circumstances, or else I'd-"

"Do something stupid, which is why I'm stopping this pointless argument right now," Ichimaru chimed in, placing a firm hand on his brother's shoulder, "I don't think this is really the place for this, to be honest. Our brother's about to go on to his final resting place, she wants to pay her respects…grudges and dislike aside, I don't really see a problem with that."

Rikimaru willed himself to calm down, if only barely, "Tch…you're making a mistake in trusting her, little brother. Be careful that she doesn't slit your throat while you're not paying attention," he growled out before taking a step back and letting Kimiko walk to the urn. The beautiful assassin nodded at Ichimaru before kneeling in front of the urn to pay her respects.

"I pray you find peace in your next life," she whispered aloud, though her thoughts were quite the opposite, 'Watching you scream as you burned alive was music to my ears, and knowing that you'll never rape and murder another poor girl again gives me more peace than you'll ever know in the afterlife. Burn in hell for your sins, gaki. And don't worry…your father and brothers will join you sooner than you think…'

After her prayers were finished, the beautiful assassin rose to her feet and prepared to leave, "Well, as I said, I did leave from a rather sensitive mission for this, so I can't stay long. But do take care of yourself and your brother, Ichi-kun. It would be a shame if anything happened to either of you."

"…Nothing is going to happen…to anyone else in this clan…not if I can help it…" Rikimaru spoke softly, but his voice carried in the cavernous hangar. Ichimaru opened his eyes and glared at him, "Rikimaru…what the hell did I just say about being reckless-"

"AND WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO?! JUST SIT HERE AND WAIT WHILE THE ADULTS HANDLE IT?!" Rikimaru screamed back, "OUR BROTHER WAS MURDERED! BURNED ALIVE IN HIS OWN CLUB! BY A FUCKING PSYCOPATH THAT'S BEEN PICKING US OFF ONE BY ONE FOR OVER FOUR YEARS!"

"And you really think you'll make a difference?" Kimiko's condescending tone only made the boy angrier, but she continued, "You want to know who had that same idea? I'll give you one guess, what's left of him is piled up in that urn ready to be shipped back home."

"Stay the fuck out of this, gaijin!" The elder triplet pointed threateningly at the older woman before rounding on his brother, "And if you want to wait until someone else gets killed before getting into gear, then fine! Unlike you, I actually have the resources necessary to find and take this guy out! And I plan to use them!"

Before anyone else could get another word out, Rikimaru stormed over to the urn and lifted the lid. Using a kunai in his robe, he sliced open a small cut in his palm and squeezed a few drops of blood on the ashes before placing the lid back on and letting a few more drops fall onto it, "I swear on this blood oath, little brother…I WILL find that assassin…and his family, his friends, anyone he's ever known or cared for. I will bring them to within an inch of death before his eyes and slowly finish them one by one…until he begs me to take his life. And when he does…I'll make him suffer a death that will make yours pale in comparison."

His sworn vow complete, the furious Tachibana turned and left, unaware of the silent smirk that came over Kimiko's face.

'A blood oath, huh? How ironic…'

The red-orange rays of the sunset caressed Keitaro's skin through the open window, a light breeze rustling his hair and clothes. But the young man was unaware of it, as he was currently in deep meditation to bring out more of the Ryuketsu no Shinsei from within. Slowly, the orange aura that had surrounded him began to darken, until becoming a stable crimson color that lashed out like wildfire. Within the darkness of his mind's eye, the avenger once again witnessed the traumatizing scene of his clan's murder.

The fire.

The blood.

The screams.

Grunting with effort to restrain himself, Keitaro continued to pull at more of the accursed energy, inadvertently dropping his ki disguise and becoming Kyoshiro once again.

'No…I'll need more than this if I want to take out the more experienced assassins within the Tachibana clan…especially Kurotora-teme…'

Pulling at more of the crimson ki, the landlord barely noticed the slight wind that began to pick up around him. The negligible breeze quickly began to pick up in speed and strength, nearly turning the young man into a virtual typhoon.

'SMACK!'

"OOWWW!" he yelped as he felt something slap the back of his head, knocking him out of his power trip. The irate young man looked up while rubbing his head to see a smirking Kimiko who looked a little too pleased with herself, "Kimiko! What the hell?!"

"Hello to you too, boya," the busty redhead greeted with the look of a cat that just ate the canary, "Was I interrupting something?"

Keitaro growled as he reset his disguise and walked over to the desk next to his window where his books lay open, "You know better than to interrupt my training…I was on to something there before you came along."

"Right…I'm sure the rest of the household could feel your 'progress'," she sniped as she made quotation marks in the air with her fingers, "Do you even have any idea how much power you were pumping out? I'd be surprised if the Emperor's Royal Sensors didn't pick that up at the palace!"

The landlord sighed and sat down, absently flipping through a few pages in a random book, "So I was able to tap in to the point that it was visibly changing the air around me. Looks like I'm getting better at this a lot faster than I thought I would."

"Like you really need more power anyway. I saw how you took Ranmaru-teme apart," the sly assassin sashayed over to the young man and placed her hand softly on his shoulder, "I have to find a way to thank you properly for that sometime soon. It made me feel sooo good to see him meet his end so brutally. I think I might have worn out my paramour in bed immediately after."

"…please don't scar me with details of your sex-life..." Keitaro shivered, his face turning slightly green, "I won't even talk about that stuff with my family, let alone someone I've marked for death in the future."

Turning around to face the woman, he noticed a particular gleam in her eye, "…I assume you have information for me? Otherwise you wouldn't look so happy."

"I can't be happy to see my beloved kouhai after a successful mission?" Kimiko pouted playfully, "Ah, what happened to the good old days? You always used to be so overjoyed to see me, with your big red eyes and that innocent look on your face …or at least as innocent as a child assassin could pull off anyway. And I'd run over and hug and squeeze you to my breast like a doting, loving onee-"

Kimiko was forced to pause when the tip of a kunai was placed at her neck, the sharp steel just barely cutting into the skin. Keitaro shot her a frosty glare, "Not…another…word."

The Tachibana sighed and took a step back, her hands held up in mock surrender, "Fine, fine…no more walks down memory lane. And yes, I do have an update on your soon-to-be-next-target."

Taking a seat on the window sill, the assassin went on, "Killing Ranmaru was a heavy blow to Minato and his family, as well as the rest of the clan. Everyone's been put on high alert and they'll be walking on eggshells for the next few weeks…save for one."

"What do you mean?"

"You've awakened the righteous anger of none other than Tachibana Rikimaru, the eldest of the Tachibana triplets!" Kimiko said while performing a series of overly-dramatic poses, "He has sworn a blood oath upon the ashes of his dearly departed brother to find his murderer, and slay him along with anyone the murderer knows or loves!"

Keitaro fought not to laugh, "Heh…well, I wonder how he'd feel if he knew that would be a very short list of people to go after. In any case, if the boy's that willing to seek vengeance, then who am I to deny him? I say let him come."

"And I say, why not lure him into a trap instead?" Kimiko asked. At seeing the intrigued look on Keitaro's face, she elaborated, "He has the resources and the goon power to tear the underground of this city apart. Why not leave him some 'breadcrumbs' to follow straight to you?"

The cogs in the avenger's head began to work the idea around, a chilling grin creeping onto his face, "Follow them to me…saving me the trouble of hunting him down and waiting for the right chance to strike…that's not a bad idea, Kimiko. I think you might be on to something…"

"This is why I'm the brains of this operation, boya," Kimiko teased with a sly grin of her own, before leaning in closer towards the landlord, "We'll have to be careful, though. Rikimaru is a bit more strategic and clear-headed than that piggish little brother of his. If we don't do this right, he'll be able to sniff out our plan before it even gets off the ground."

"I see…well in that case, I'll just leave the trail of crumbs to you," Keitaro decided, the gears in his head grinding away as he pictured the potential scenarios, "Just tell me where to trap the kid, and leave the rest to me."

"Done." Kimiko replied, before pausing for a moment. Keitaro was about to ask if something was wrong when the woman gave him a mischievous grin, "Well, I better get going, boya. Seems like you're about to have a visitor. We can flesh out the details of our plan later."

Planting a small kiss against Keitaro's cheek, much to the boy's growing ire, the Tachibana assassin jumped from her perch on the window sill and into the forest outside. Staring after her for a moment, the landlord pondered what she meant when she told him he would have a visitor when a knock sounded at his door, "Keitaro? Are you there? It's me, Naru."

"…I forgot she could sense people like that too," Keitaro grumbled before walking to the door and opening, revealing a slightly embarrassed-looking brunette, "Hey Naru, what's up?"

"N-Nothing," she stuttered slightly, "It's just…we were supposed to study tonight, but if you don't want to…"

"Why wouldn't I want to? It's one of the few ways we get to spend time together by ourselves around here," Keitaro laughed, missing the slight frown on Naru's face, "Come in, I already have my stuff ready."

Taking a seat on the floor, the two began going over some old practice exams, taking a few moments here and there to help each other get through the more difficult material. As time went on, however, Keitaro noticed that the brunette seemed rather…sullen, for reasons unknown.

"Naru?" he began, getting the girl's attention, "Is everything alright? You seem a little quiet…"

The brunette opened her mouth to speak, but paused before putting her head down, hiding her eyes behind her bangs, "I...I just…Keitaro, you're not mad at me for outing the fact we're dating to the others, are you?"

The landlord blanched a bit, unable to believe that she was afraid that he would be angry over something so trivial, "What? No! I mean, we didn't plan to keep it a secret forever anyway…hell, look at who we live with! There was no way we could keep it under wraps for much longer."

"It's just…you seemed a bit mad after," she blushed faintly as she recalled the moments after she suddenly kissed him in front of the others. There had been a LOT of explaining to do.

All while dodging lethal ki strikes from a VERY irate kendoka who was convinced he had forced himself upon his new girlfriend, despite Naru's protests.

…that hadn't been his idea of fun.

"Well…I will admit that it was a little annoying having to deal with the antics of the others," Keitaro began, taking a moment to move himself next to Naru and hug her to his side, "But, honestly…it was stupid of me to ask you to keep it a secret in the first place. I've always had a hard time trusting others, especially with the more personal aspects of my life. It was wrong of me to push that paranoia onto you like I did. So really, the one who should be apologizing is me."

"…Yea…you should, you jerk," Naru whispered before shoving the man onto the floor, "You knew how much I wanted to tell everyone too! Shame on you!"

Keitaro laughed, "Ok, ok! Shame on me, I messed up! Again! Of course, you could have just said 'screw you!' and told them anyway…"

"What was that?! You're blaming me now?!" the brunette shrieked before jumping on top of the young man, using her hands to pin his above his head on the ground and squeezing his sides between her deceptively strong knees, "I think this calls for a punishment!"

The landlord cringed slightly as he felt the side of his ribcage compress a bit at the pressure, 'What the heck?! Not just her arms, but her legs are this strong too?! I refuse to believe subconscious ki manipulation is not at work here!'

Before he could do a subtle ki-probe however, a pair of soft lips pressed against his own, silencing any other thoughts in his head. Naru lingered for a few moments before lifting her head back up, "Have you learned your lesson yet?"

Keitaro grunted, but grinned up at his girlfriend, "Yes I have. No more secrets. Ever. Now can you stop crushing my ribs now, please? I think I felt something crack."

"Hmmm…nope! I don't think you've paid enough yet," Naru teased, sticking her tongue out at him before shooting him a smoldering stare, "I think I'll just keep 'punishing' you until I'm satisfied."

Before he could get another word out, the mischievous brunette leaned down and kissed him again, this time sneaking her tongue into his mouth. Refusing to be outdone, Keitaro used his own tongue to engage in a passionate duel. He barely even noticed Naru's legs squeeze him tighter.

'I'm pretty sure I just felt another rib go…but Haruka can fix those later.'

It was clear the two would not be getting anymore studying done that night.

"Ah, young love," Kimiko preened as she turned away from the scene in Keitaro's room. She had lingered a bit in order to get a better look at his new girlfriend, and she had to admit the boy had good taste.

"Then again, I should have known he'd pick a beauty…" she whispered almost wistfully, before another voice interrupted her musings, "Reminiscing on the good old days again?"

"Maybe," the redheaded beauty shrugged before jumping to another tree and beginning to make her way off the Hinata property, "No need to get jealous, darling, you know my heart is yours."

"Yea, yea," the mock-disgruntled voice of Lawliet grunted out, "Anyway, I think I hit a wall with my latest pet project."

Kimiko raised an eyebrow as she broke through the trees behind the Hinata-sou and landed on a flat rooftop, "Pet project? Oh, you mean showing the world how much of a perverted monster Ranmaru really was? What's the issue?"

"Well, it's actually related to the kid," Lawliet went on with a sliver of frustration in his voice, "One of the girls he lives with, Narusegawa Naru? Her little sister Mei was the last person Ranmaru attacked…and the only one that got away, thanks to samurai boy being around."

"I think he mentioned that before, but that still doesn't answer my question."

"…If I drag all of the little perv's assaults into the light, Mei would get dragged into it. Which means Naru would get dragged into it. See where I'm going with this?"

The red-headed beauty visibly recoiled, "Oh. I can see how that would be bad now. Boya-kun would not be too happy with the extra attention on his new girlfriend."

"Exactly."

"Shame…I was actually looking forward to seeing that exposé…"

"I can put something together that would exclude that last attack given time…I'll just have to think on it a bit."

Upon hearing that, Kimiko had to fight a giggle, "Does that mean I can expect to see you sitting in a chair upside down again? Or was it sitting with both feet on the cushion so you look like you're folded up?"

"…I told you already, doing that stuff helps me think…"

"You're weird Law-kun. Just accept it."

"You're the last person that gets to call me weird."

"…"

"…That's what I thought."

Author's Note - Another 4 months, another missed self-imposed deadline. Apologies that this took so long to post, but here you have it. Aftermath of the assassination, and the stirrings of another ambush about to happen. Also, the relationship is out in the open now, so Kei and Naru no longer have to hide it. Yay transparency.

Looks like Keitaro is about to get another ally. But since he's Kimiko's paramour, how much can he be trusted? What are his motives?

You'll find out soon enough. For now, back to work.

Ciph signin' off