Operation Code 14-1400

Keiko stared at the picture on the screen as the leader scanned though the material looking for weaknesses. A small black haired boy was running from a brown haired girl in a dress. He had the most ridiculous grin on his face and his brown eyes were sparkling in amusement. She'd know that goofy grin anywhere but what was Yusuke going working for Underworld? He wasn't a hero. At least, he wasn't when they were young and carefree. She reminded herself that she had no idea what he was like now with a painful tug at her heart.

The leader clicked something and another picture appeared. This time he was older and while he was smiling, his eyes weren't sparkling as his fist hit a man's face. What was he doing? The question jumped around her skull as she tried to figure out what had happened while she was gone. Just how much had her childhood friend changed? And why?

The leader clicked something else and another file appeared. The photo was taken at a police station and angry eyes stared at the camera under a mop of hair. So this was Agent Jimmu, Keiko thought. He looked a little familiar but not in the way that she had seen him before. More like he looked like someone she knew but it was too hard to see who because the photo was in black and white.

The leader clicked on the last file and all the girls gasped.

"That's the boy from your date," Keiko said as she stared at Shuichi Minamino's yearbook photo.

The girl nodded. "Well that would explain why such a good boy was at the worst bar," she replied. "It also had given me an idea of how to take these boys out."

Keiko and Yukina waited to hear the girl's idea, praying that she wasn't suggesting what they thought she was. When she announced it, Keiko felt her heart sink farther into her stomach.

"Forgive me, Yusuke," she thought.

O*C*1*4

"I'm telling you! Yukina is one of the girls we met at the park!" Spirit shouted at the other boys.

45 shook his head and titled his chair back on two legs. "They don't even have the same hair colour."

"Say what you want! But I know it's her! From the moment I first saw her, our hearts were connected. I'd know her anywhere, even a photo."

"For your sake, I hope it isn't her," Dragon added from his corner of the room.

From his place against the wall, Fox smiled to himself. It appeared that Spirit had forgotten who Yukina was related to. Yet even as he felt amusement at Spirit's actions, he felt an unsettling worry. If the girl at the park was in fact Yukina, why had Demon World allowed her to wander? Why did she look so different? And why didn't she try to leave? His thoughts drifted back to the list of chemicals he had found on a previous mission. What was Demon World up to?

He felt— or rather sensed – Youko pressing against his mental walls and quickly focused his thoughts. Youko pushed for a second before retreating back to his place, wherever that was. Well aware that Youko might try again Fox kept his thoughts under strict control. This time he had been given a warning. Next time he might not be as lucky.

He refocused on the conversation as 45 returned his chair to its designed location with 4 legs on the floor. "Okay so if this girl is Yukina now what? We can't just walk up to her and say 'Hi, I'm an Underworld agent. You wouldn't happen to have been kidnapped and missing for ten years, would you?'"

Fox nodded. "We could but I doubt we'd get the results we want. If Demon World let her wander, they probably had someone tailing her."

"Like that other girl she was with?"

"Exactly."

Spirit frowned and crossed his arms, "Maybe if we separated them somehow…"

Dragon stood up and walked towards the fridge that was hidden behind a false wall. "I doubt they would agree to that. We could always kidnap one of them."

Fox shook his head as Dragon pulled a can of orange juice from the fridge. "Remember Dragon, we are the good guys."

45 nodded. "Plus we do anything stupid and the case will get pulled."

Spirit nodded. "It's too bad we don't have three Foxes. He could just charm them unto going into three separate dates."

Fox's eyes widened. "Or a group date," he said.

"What?" Dragon and Spirit demanded.

45 nodded. "I get it. If we go on a group date, they won't get worried and we can separate them later but I think you missing something. You're the only one who can talk to girls with good results."

Fox sighed. "I suppose I will have to give you and Spirit the crash course again then."

"Why us?"

"Because the girls have already seen you and as I recall, you tried to hit on them."

"Yeah but… Damn," 45 replied. "Fine but I'm not wearing the dummy hat."

Fox smiled. "We'll see."

Two hours later they were no better than when they had started. Fox decided to pray that the girls would appreciate the boys "be me" approach. If Fox was going to be completely honest, he wouldn't even place bets on 45's success. Spirit, however, he had hope for. The boy was honest and was unable to even think about hurting a female. Hopefully the girls would sense that and take pity on him.

Just in case, Fox tried one last time to convince 45 that walking up to a girl and asking her point-blank if she wanted to go on a date with him was a bad idea.

45 rolled his eyes. "If I try small talk, they'll probably think I'm going to mug them."

Fox nodded. "That reminds me. Your gun should remain here."

"Hell no!"

"45, women can sense when a source of danger is near and will be more tense and unwilling to agree to a date if you keep your gun with you."

"If they can sense danger so well, they would never agree to a date anyways."

Fox sighed and started to explain when his cell rang. Turning his back on the other boys, he said, "Hello?"

"Hi," said a familiar female voice. It appeared that the girl from the bar had kept his phone number. It also occurred to Fox that he didn't know her name.

The girl continued to speak. "I was wondering if you had two friends lying around who would like a trip to the amusement park."

"I believe I can find two," Fox replied, knowing his teammates were listening to every word. "Am I correct in assuming that you'll also have two friends joining us?"

"Just my roommates, Keiko and Yukina. So Friday at six?"

Fox's eyes widened at the names. Was it a coincidence? Or something more?

"We'll see you then." He ended the call and turned back to the other boys.

"That was too easy," Dragon announced with a glare.

Fox nodded. It had been too easy and it reeked of being a trap. However, just what sort of trap was it and was it worth braving it to discover the location of two of the missing girls?

He glanced at the two boys who would be joining them and would they be a help? Or a hindrance?

One thing was for certain. If it was a trap, it was an obvious one and the Demon World had made a dangerous mistake. They had made it clear that they knew which team was assigned to the mission to look for Yukina and Keiko. They also made it clear that they knew who was on the group which suggested that Underworld had a leak or worse, a traitor.

In that case, the boys would have to play things very carefully. Behind his mental walls, Fox felt Youko stir before disappearing back into his subconscious. Yes. He would have to be very careful not to fall into the trap. He had no idea what its real gain was but he had a few ideas why and he knew how to find out.

He motioned to 45 and Spirit and continued to teach them. They would all have to be careful.