"Flower. The sound adapters."

"Got it."

"Yuma, are the wires connected right? Her phone camera isn't on the screen yet."

"Working on it."

The bathroom was filled with whispers to keep our voices from bouncing off the tiles walls. Rin stood in front of the door, leaning against it and itching to cross the hall into the office only a few feet away. Miku was inside, unaware of our presence and awaiting her date with the target.

I stood away from Flower, Kanon, and Yuma, who were setting up their tablets and equipment on the counters. For the first time, Anon stood off to the side with me. She had decided to keep her supplies packed away in case we needed to make a quick escape. While they spoke, I focused on calming myself down. The adrenaline from the jump was wearing down quickly, but that was nothing compared to my fear of the upcoming mission.

"What time did she say she'd be here?" Flower asked softly.

Kanon shrugged. "She should be here any second."

"And if she tries to come in here?"

"Simple." Kanon paused her assembling. "We pull her in and take her out. Not hard."

Yuma let out a nervous laugh. He was strangely quiet since we landed on the roof. "Oh, no. The hard part is getting out alive."

"The only way out is down," Anon pointed out.

Kanon smirked. "Unless you want to go jump off roofs again."

Flower scowled at her. "This isn't the time for jokes!"

"Well how else am I supposed to deal with the fact that we're fucked if we get caught here?"

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe come up with a better plan than hiding in a bathroom!"

The bickering girls were silenced by a loud bang as Rin threw her bag on the ground between them. Like everyone else in the room, she was overcome with desperation and fear of the situation ahead. "If we need to run, we'll figure it out when we get there. No point in arguing over it now."

I wondered if the air had been this tense between them the first time they had tried to kill Luka. Probably not. That plan was foolproof. I let out a sigh. Well. Almost.

Shooting Flower a glare, Kanon set her gear on the counter, careful not to let it drop into the sink. "Okay," she said, turning on the screen to reveal the camera from Miku's phone. "It's set up."

We all gathered around the tablet except for Rin, who continued to guard the door.

"What do we do now?" Anon asked.

Her sister let out a sigh. "Now, we wait."

And wait we did.

The screen showed the familiar sight of Miku's ceiling. She was absent from the picture most of the time, only occasionally revealing her teal hair as she rushed around the room. From the brief glimpses we saw of her face, it seemed obvious that she was wearing a huge grin. Her cheerful humming was audible from the tablet. As was the clinking of dishes, the pouring of water, and the ruffling of a tablecloth.

A few minutes later, Miku picked her phone up from her desk, allowing us a second-long glimpse of the dining table she had just set for two.

I furrowed my brow. She didn't even need to leave her room to set it up. She must have had the table, the dishes, the cloth, and everything else stocked away behind one of the many closet doors lining the room. How often did she and Luka meet in the office? Or, maybe the better question was, how many times did Miku think they were meeting in the office?

Twenty minutes after they had set up their gear, I began to fear that we had been stood up once again.

But my fear was nothing compared to Miku's. She had seated herself in one of the two chairs she had set out for her date. Her phone now sat on the table in front of her. Resting her elbows daintily on the table, she folded her fingers in front of her face and waited.

Her humming had stopped.

"She's in town," Kanon whispered. It had now been thirty minutes. "She's close. She has to be coming. She has to be."

As the minutes ticked by, Miku's smile faltered more and more. Her hands dropped to the table, fingers drumming against the cloth.

Forty minutes.

Miku scratched the back of her head, now grabbing her phone often to check the time. Every time her oblivious eyes glanced down at the screen, they revealed more and more of her worry and confusion.

"This is ridiculous," Rin muttered from the door. The only upside to this situation was that the hallway between Miku's office and our hiding spot was empty of all people. Not a single person had passed by.

Anon pursed her lips. "What if… what if she doesn't show?"

Kanon shook her head. "Don't talk about it."

"But what if? What are we gonna do?"

"We'll talk about it when and if we get there," Flower said solemnly.

"But… shouldn't we talk about it-"

All seven of us - Miku included - jumped as her phone suddenly started ringing. Our eyes snapped back to the screen as Miku yanked her phone from the table and answered it desperately.

"Hello?" She said with a voice full of hope. The camera went dark, her hair shadowing it from the light as she rose the phone to her ear.

"Hey, Meeks." The voice of our target ran through. But it wasn't only her voice. In the background, music played and people talked and giggled.

"Luka!" She exclaimed with excitement. "Are you almost-"

"Yeah, about that. Quick change of plans. Turns out there's a little party at home. Can't miss it."

The air around us changed dramatically with those few words. No one had said anything, no one had reacted in any dramatic way, but I could physically feel the mood shift from tense to furious.

For a few moments, Miku was speechless. "But-But what about-"

She was cut off by another low, female voice coming through Luka's end of the phone. "Hold on," Luka whispered. "Not now, not now." She giggled.

The camera was dark, but not too dark to make the obvious shaking of Miku's hand invisible.

"Hey, Meeks, I'll make it up to you, okay? I leave again in a few days. I'll try to stop by on the way out."

The teal-haired girl didn't say a word.

"You still there?" Luka asked, her voice more impatient than anything.

"Yeah," Miku answered. The defeat in her tone was heartbreaking. "I'm always here."

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yup."

Luka's tone changed just slightly. "I love you." The words weren't convincing at all. She was telling Miku exactly what she wanted to hear.

Once again, Miku said nothing.

Luka sighed. "Look, don't be mad, okay? I promise I'll make it up to you."

"Yeah."

The confidence in her voice didn't waver, even though it was obvious she had upset Miku to a whole new level. "Talk tomorrow."

"Bye." Miku didn't wait for her response, instead choosing to hang up the phone and slam it on the table.

Everyone was motionless in the bathroom.

"You have got to be fucking. Kidding. Me," Yuma growled.

Flower let out a frustrated yell, slamming her fist into the stall behind her. "We're never gonna fucking find her!"

And uproar sounded in the room. Our entire squad had turned into a pack of lions fighting over the last scrap of food. Everyone was angry. Everyone yelled. They must have forgotten that we were still at risk of being caught.

Even Miku glowered with rage. No one but me caught the commotion that appeared on the camera. It flew to the ground, shattered glass following it. The camera cracked.

Only Rin kept quiet.

"Guys!" I yelled in fear that Miku, or even one of her guards, would hear us. "Do I have to fucking remind you all that this is still a stealth mission?" I scolded through clenched teeth.

Flower stood so she was eye-level with me. "There's no fucking mission," she replied angrily, jabbing a finger into my sternum.

"But we're still behind enemy lines. We're still at risk. We can't find her if we're dead."

"We're not gonna be able to find her at all!" Kanon scowled. She was forcefully shoving her still-assembled gear into her bag, careless as to whether it would survive or not. The cracked screen of Miku's camera was completely ignored by her. "LA was our last fucking chance. And it was all fucked up because you decided to come home a day early!"

I opened my mouth to reply, then said nothing. Her accusation was enough to make the room go quiet.

Yuma stood. "I can't fucking believe it. I jumped off of a roof for nothing."

"No, you didn't."

I had almost forgotten that Rin was still standing silently by the door. She crossed her arms, looking over the rest of us with narrowed eyes. Behind them, an ice blue fire of rage seemed to consume her entire being. Despite her silence, she seemed to be the most furious out of everyone. Except for Miku, maybe.

"It wasn't for nothing," she snarled. "I'm sick of waiting."

Before any of us could protest, she unlocked the door and exited into the hallway.

My expression changed from anger to concern in half a second. She was heading for Miku's office.

"Fuck, Rin, wait!" Yuma yelled, sharing my worry for the poor girl in the room next to us. He yanked his bag off the floor, ignoring the stray pieces of tech falling to the ground, and dashed through the door after her. I followed him.

We were too late.

Rin threw open the door to Miku's office, her pistol in hand. She marched inside and left the door open behind her. Yuma and I ran in after her, with Anon, Kanon, and Flower following us in a few seconds later. Anon was the last to enter. With a frown, she shut and locked the door behind her.

The office walls were completely lined with closet doors. One pair to the right was opened and empty, probably where Miku had kept her portable dining room. The same dining room which was now splayed across the floor, the table overturned in rage with a sea of glass shards separating us from the desk where Miku herself now sat. Her arms were crossed on the wooden surface, her face buried in them and her shoulders heaving in sobs. A brand-new, expensive-looking computer stood next to her. She only looked up when Anon shut the door. Her wide eyes were wet with tears, her cheeks red and her expression generally hopeless from her situation. She blinked at us a few times, her mouth slightly agape in a mixture of surprise and sadness.

"Wh-what-" she began, still choking over her own words. "Who… who are you-" She cut herself off once more as her eyes wavered on me. She recognized me. Her brow furrowed, her confusion only deepening.

None of us said anything. Rin stood at our lead, her gun still gripped firmly in her hand. She was the one who charged in here, she would have to be the one to talk to her.

But she said nothing.

Miku's eyes flickered to the gun. She didn't seem surprised at all to see it. As she stared at it, realization slowly tick over her. "My phone," she said, talking more to herself than us. "You… you grabbed my phone-" To my surprise, she let out a couple of nervous laughs. "Did you tap my phone? That's… embarrassing."

"You know why we're here," Rin finally stated.

Miku sniffled, leaning back in her chair. Her eyes remained low. "Yeah," she answered sadly. "I think I do."

"Where is she?" Rin asked.

Miku swiveled from side to side in her chair. "...What did she do to you?"

"I ask the questions, here," Rin growled in response. The blonde was so overcome with anger and determination that she was completely immune to Miku's depressing situation. "Where. Is. She."

Miku sighed. "West of here. In the jungle. About an hour in."

Her willingness to answer the question took all of us off guard. Rin included.

Flower was the first to snap out of her sympathy. She stepped forward, walking past Rin and planting herself directly to Miku's right. She leaned against the desk. "How do we know you aren't lying?" She asked, placing her hands on the desk and looming over the girl.

Miku still refused to meet anyone's eyes. Tears still streamed down her face. But they weren't out of fear. She wasn't scared of us at all.

"I doubt you'd be willing to betray your little girlfriend that easily," Flower continued in a threatening tone. "I don't believe you for a fucking second."

She said nothing. Her chair continued to swivel. She was acting like a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar. Like she was being scolded for something.

Flower let out an annoyed breath, placing a hand on the fabric of the chair. Miku froze. "I don't think you understand the situation you're in right now," Flower said slowly.

It baffled me how easily these two were able to threaten her while she was in this state. Maybe they thought this was all an act. Hell, maybe it was all an act. But if it was, Miku was one damn good actor. Because she had me convinced.

"Talk, girl," Rin said. "Before we have to make you."

"Cut it out, you two!" Anon suddenly yelled, pushing past Rin. Flower's eyes widened as Anon placed her hands on the desk across from Miku. For the first time, the girl looked up at her. Anon met her eyes and began. "Luka wronged us. Just like she seems to be wronging you. We're here to put a stop to it. We need to know where she is."

Flower frowned. "You're too soft, Anon. This is why you stay back while the rest of us-"

Anon shot her a dirty look, cutting her off, then returned her soft eyes to Miku. "Just tell us what you know. And we'll leave. And you won't have to do this anymore."

Flower opened her mouth to protest. After a moment of hesitation, she thought better of it.

Miku placed her elbows on the table. The gears in her head were turning as she searched for words.

Rin seemed as unhappy with Anon's interference as Flower was. "Any day now," she muttered as Miku continued to think of the right words. Anon ignored her.

Finally, Miku buried her head in her hands, letting out a few more sobs before taking a deep breath to contain herself. "She… she wasn't always like this. She wasn't," she pleaded, her voice heavy with tears. "I knew her when we were kids. Middle school. She was so sweet. Quiet. Didn't like talking to people."

Rin rolled her eyes. I stepped next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and silently asking to at least listen to what Miku had to say.

"She was always broke," she continued, lowering her hands to reveal the fresh set of tears that had emerged from her eyes. "She started dealing in high school. I guess… I guess the money was worth the risk of getting caught. But she never did! No one could catch her. Even back then, she was always careful, covering up her tracks, framing other people, and just never getting caught." Miku paused, clenching her eyes shut and breathing heavily.

While the other may not have believed her words, there was a sincerity to them that I couldn't take as anything but the truth. We had only witnessed their relationship for the past few weeks. Miku had been apart of it for years. And it seemed like she had finally had enough.

"When-when she asked me-" Miku opened her eyes slowly, still only able to form words between her sobs. "When she asked me to start helping her, I was totally against it. The shit these things do to people. To their families, I… I didn't want anything to do with it."

"And yet here you are," Rin frowned. I nudged her in the side.

Miku chuckled at the irony. "Yeah. Here I am."

"Why?" Anon asked. Her voice was gentle. She believed her story, too. "If you didn't want to do it, then why are you here?"

Miku slowly spun her chair around, looking out the window behind her. "...I loved her," she whimpered, hidden from our sight.

Flower spun her back around to face us.

Anon ignored her teammate's forceful movements. "And now?"

Miku furrowed her brow. "All that money. All that power. She's… she's changed."

"Changed?" Rin repeated, raising her voice. "Changed?!" She pushed Kanon out of the way, hitting the desk with a clenched fist. "She's always been like this. For years. No regard for other people, not giving a shit about anyone but herself. And you expect me to believe that you're not the exact same way?"

"Rin. Quit it," scolded Anon.

"Why? You guys are eating up all the bullshit she's feeding you, trying to make you feel bad for her. Like she isn't just as bad!"

Anon turned on her, pointing a finger at the pitiful girl sitting across from them. "She didn't kill him, Rin! We're not here for her! We're here for Luka!"

"I bet she called her guards the second we came in here," Rin growled. "They're probably seconds away from bursting in that door and killing us all."

Flower crossed her arms. "And who's fault would that be?"

This time, Yuma spoke up. "Listen. We're not gonna get anything done if we can't trust each other!" He said, looking between the three girls.

"I don't believe her for a fucking second." Flower glared at Miku.

"Me neither," Rin agreed.

"You can at least give her a chance to talk," argued Anon.

"What's the point? It's all fake-"

"Shut. Up!" Yuma yelled once again. He pulled his laptop out of his bag, looking at Miku. "Listen. I don't know whether to trust you or not. But if you want us to believe you…" he trailed off, setting the computer on the desk and opening it. "We tracked you down through Meiko," he explained.

Miku blinked in surprise. "You… you're the ones who-"

"Yup," Rin placed her hands on her hips.

"Anyway," continued Yuma. "Her tech tracked where the deposits into her account came from. And this place sent her the most money." He typed away on his computer.

Miku nodded slowly.

"You have access to Luka's account." It was more of a statement than a question.

"I do," she answered with a flat voice.

Yuma slid the laptop around and pushed it towards Miku. "Send us all of her money."

Her eyes widened. "...All of it?"

"Every penny," he demanded. "And no tricks, either. Don't forget that you're in a room with six assassins."

She looked down at the computer, her eyes scanning the screen. Wiping the tears from her eyes one last time, she turned to the desktop in front of her and began working.

"Flower, watch her," Yuma ordered.

Flower nodded, peering over Miku's shoulder, observing her every movement.

As she worked, Yuma turned back to us. "I think she's telling the truth," he whispered.

"What? How could you-"

"Rin, listen," he continued. "We've heard how Luka treats her. Maybe she's finally fed up with it."

"Or maybe she's luring us straight in to kill us and protect her precious girlfriend. I won't trust her. I refuse."

"Do we have a choice?" I pointed out.

Neither of them had an answer for me.

"We don't," Kanon said softly, joining our circle. "We all agreed to go after Luka knowing full well that our chances of getting out alive were slim. We either go with this, or we go home."

"Guys," Flower interrupted our conversation. Her tone had changed dramatically. We turned to see her staring wide-eyed and the computer Miku continued to type on. The businesswoman herself glanced between the two computers often before hitting one last key and leaned back.

"There," she said. "It's done."

Yuma broke away from our circle to grab his laptop. He scrolled through it, his entire body tensing up.

Flower seemed just as stunned as him.

"Well?" Rin asked. "She give us away yet?"

Yuma didn't answer, instead closing the laptop and sliding it back into his bag. His attempts at keeping his composure were unsuccessful. "We," he began slowly. "Are the richest people in the world."

Miku leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. She looked far from pleased, but her composure had relaxed a bit. Tears still rolled down her cheeks occasionally.

Anon smiled. "So. Where is she now?"

Miku thought for a moment. "...Even if I gave you the coordinates, you'll never be able to get in."

"Is that a threat?" Flower asked with a sneer.

"No," she answered. "It's the truth. You need someone who knows the place. Where all the cameras are, the guards, the alarms. You'll never be able to get past it."

Rin narrowed her eyes. "What are you suggesting?"

"Take me with you."

The room fell into a stunned silence.

"No fucking way," Rin finally muttered. "The second we get there - if you even lead us to the right place - you're just gonna give us away-"

"What else are we gonna do with her?" I asked. "She's seen us. She knows we're looking for Luka. We can't leave her here. It's either we kill her or we take her with us." I glanced down at Rin. "And I think our odds are better with her."

She shook her head. "I can't fucking believe this."

Anon turned to face us. "She passed your little test. I vote we take her."

"Me too," Yuma said. His eyes were still clouded at disbelief of the number he had just read on the screen.

"No way," Rin growled.

"Flower?"

The girl, still standing behind the desk next to Miku, furrowed her brow. "It's… it's a lot of money. I don't think she could just give it up for nothing."

Rin's shoulders slumped. "Not you, too."

"We need to take her," Kanon said. The vote was now 5-1. Rin was outnumbered.

"Get up," Flower told Miku, her voice still holding that same hostility. "Try anything and we'll kill you."

"I won't," she promised. "It's gone on long enough."

"We're all gonna die," Rin muttered as we exited the office.

"Well," Kanon replied with a sigh. "We knew that from the beginning."


What do you guys think? Is Miku a friend or a foe?

Thanks for reading :)