AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi there! Here's chapter four. I hope you enjoy it.

Next update will be somewhere around 12/25/14 (though it may be uploaded the day before or the day after due to the holiday).

Thank you for reading (and reviewing if you get a chance)!

Take care!

~ Yuki

Target 04-03: The Lotus Clip

Akai was sitting on Haru's doorstep when the brunette finally made her way home. She'd parted ways with Yamamoto at the dojo after emerging from the Underground and he'd headed to practice while she headed straight home. "Didn't take you that long to get here," Akai noted, standing up and brushing off her plaid skirt.

"The Vongola entrance was in some place I didn't expect," Haru said, "and a lot closer than I thought it would be. Any luck?"

"You might say that," Akai said and held out a paper-wrapped bundle. "Found that sticking in one of the bushes against the wall—kind of like it fell out of the intruder's hair or something when they climbed the wall."

"Along the wall?" Haru repeated.

"Let me guess, you didn't think to look there?" Akai asked.

Haru felt her cheeks flush and she nodded shame-facedly.

"Everywhere Haru. Remember to look everywhere just like you look at everything when you're chasing down a lead," Akai frowned.

"I'll remember," Haru said. "I've got to go grab the corpse of my old laptop. Spanner said that he might be able to do something with it so I can use it for Famiglia business instead of hoping my password lock holds on Dad's computer."

"Now?" Akai blinked. "Where's your escort?"

"Yamamoto had baseball practice for the junior league and Gokudera is with Judaime chasing after leads on the Trabuchet," Haru replied.

"The Trabuchet? Why?" Akai frowned.

"Because Gokudera is convinced that it's the Trabuchet that left the note," Haru said, "and wouldn't listen to me when I suggested otherwise though at least the others were at least willing to consider the possibility."

"Let's have lunch first before we head out," Akai said. "I'm starving. I haven't had anything since breakfast on the plane this morning."

"Oh jeez," Haru said. "We can grab a sandwich. I'll look at what you found while we're eating. I can kill two birds with one stone if we find something useful on it."

Haru unlocked the door and led the way in, setting her bag down on the table next to the door and taking off her shoes and slipping her feet into slippers. She made a bee line for the kitchen and pulled out the various sandwich makings and began to put together sandwiches for herself and Akai after realizing that she hadn't eaten anything since the meeting.

She and Akai took the sandwiches up to her room and settled at the table they usually studied at and Haru opened the item and stared at it. "Wow, it's beautiful," she murmured and then shook her head hard, she didn't have time to admire how pretty the clip was, the person who dropped it may be threatening Vongola Nono.

"Yeah, workmanship like that doesn't come cheap," Akai agreed. "This is something like I'd wear to a formal gathering in full kimono."

"It doesn't look like anything I see usually, it must be a special order," Haru said and turned the hair clip over in her hand, the edges of the lotus petals digging into her fingers as she looked it over.

Her eyes focused on a mark under the part that clipped into the hair and she frowned. "Akai, do you think you could recreate this mark so we could go ask someone at one of the shops in town that sells stuff like this."

Akai took the clip from her and looked it over. "Probably at least a fair facsimile of it anyway," she said. "Why don't we just bring the clip in though, it'll be easier?"

"And tip anyone who may be watching off that we found this," Haru said. "I'm going to treat this like someone really is threatening and I wouldn't just haul something like this around town if it put anyone in danger."

"Good point," Akai agreed and got up and moved to one of Haru's shelves and pulled out some scrap paper and a pencil.

She sat down and sketched the symbol out and handed it over to Haru for approval and the younger girl nodded. "Looks good, thank you Akai," she said.

They finished their meal and left the house a bit over an hour later, Haru hauling her old laptop in its worn case with her, she'd arranged to meet Spanner at one of the ramen stands near the Underground for the exchange. The blond boy was eating what looked to be his second bowl of ramen when they came up and nodded at Akai guardedly. "This is the laptop?" he asked as Haru handed the case over.

"Yes, please, and thank you," Haru said.

"Don't thank me yet. I have to see if I can do anything with it first," Spanner said.

"I'm sure you can," Haru beamed at him and Spanner gave her a bland look before turning his attention back to his ramen bowl.

The two girls headed off after Haru gave Spanner her email address so he could let her know what the prognosis on the laptop was when he got to it. Haru led the way to the swankier shops in Namimori that she only came to every once in a while and she found the shop that she was looking for. "Here we go, if anyone is going to know the maker's mark it's going to be Tomo-san."

They entered the shop and were immediately greeted by the young woman organizing one of the displays. "Good afternoon, Mara-san," Haru greeted her. "Is Tomo-san in today?"

"Yes, but she's in the middle of something right now. Is it something that I can help you with?" the woman queried.

"Maybe," Haru smiled. "I just saw a piece that I really liked in a resale shop, but it was already sold. The owner allowed me to copy the maker's mark since he didn't recognize it. It's not something Tomo-san usually makes but I was wondering if she'd know it,"

"May I see it?" Mara asked.

"Yes, please," Haru said. "I don't want to take up more of Tomo-san's time than I need to."

Mara took the paper from her and she frowned. "I think I recognize it, give me a sec," she said and headed for the counter.

Mara pulled out a book and opened it. She flipped through pages and stopped and then waved Haru and Akai over. "Is this the mark?" she asked, pointing.

"Yes, it is," Haru said.

"You aim high Miura-san," Mara laughed. "The person who holds that mark has exclusive clientele. She has excellent materials and workmanship and her usual prices reflect that. Would you like the address?"

"Yes, please," Haru said.

Mara grabbed some paper and wrote down the address and phone number as well as the name. "Here you go, Miura-san," she said. "Good luck getting her to even consider your commission."

Haru chuckled and bowed. "Thank you, Mara-san," she said. "I'll be back in a few weeks to talk to you about father's birthday present."

Mara smiled. "If you're getting something from her, you probably won't have the money for your father's gift," she laughed.

"Father comes first," Haru said, "but if I talk to her at least I'll find out how much I need to save if she'll even take it."

"True enough," Mara smiled and the bell rang announcing another customer. "Pardon me, Haru. Good morning, sir. How can I help you?"

Haru folded the paper. "Thank you."

They departed the shop and Haru unfolded it to look at the address when they stopped by a café for a drink. "Kyoto," Haru said and handed the paper over to Akai.

Akai looked it over. "I'll see what I can get from my sources there," she said.

"Won't I have to go through Madame Cho for that?" Haru said.

Shaking her head, Akai pulled out her phone. "I'm utilizing the sources for my own interest which just happens to align with yours."

Haru kept quiet while Akai spoke on the phone, leading the way back to her house. Gokudera was leaning against the wall next to the entrance when they arrived and straightened immediately as they came into sight. "How was hunting?" Haru asked.

"Turned out exactly like you said it would," Gokudera grumbled. "Not a peep about anything regarding the Trabuchet except every known agent has pulled out of Namimori."

"I won't say I told you so," Haru said and opened the gate. "Will you stay for dinner, Akai?"

Akai nodded and went back to her conversation and the three entered Haru's yard and went to the door. Haru went to open it and it swung open on its own, Akai's phone snapped shut and Haru reached for her kanzashi while Gokudera activated the Sistema CAI. "Don't destroy anything you don't have to," Haru murmured to Gokudera.

He gave her a dark look. "I won't," he said.

"Gokudera and I will go in first," Akai said, moving in front of Haru. "We've more experience in these matters than you."

Haru would have protested but the look from both of them silenced her and she nodded in acquiescence. They entered the house and Haru followed when they called an all clear and glanced around herself and found everything oddly intact. There was a sound behind her and she began to turn and found herself grabbed from behind.

"Pardon the intrusion, Miura-san," a voice Haru couldn't identify as male or female murmured and she felt the prick of a needle and everything went dark.