Chapter 4
Rin had moved her few belongings up to her new room on the second floor a few minutes later. It looked similar to Misaki and Totsuka's room, except it was only capable of fitting one bed, which she safely stashed her bag under. The sun had officially set, but the moonlight was enough to light up her room for the moment. She spun around, taking in every inch of the new life she had now chosen, and suddenly felt restless.
She strode out of her room, pulling the door shut tightly behind her and resting her head against the cool wood. It took her a moment to realize her hands were still shaking from before. She stared at the bandage wrapped around her forearm and the simple knot tied near her wrist.
She could still feel them. His hands, so much larger than her own, had been oh so gentle. How could a man of such power seem so… soft? If only for a moment?
She pushed off from the wall with a shake of her head, attempting to clear her mind. There were two other doors on her floor that she passed on her way down the stairs, neither of which held their occupants – Chitose and Kamamoto. As she hurried down the next set of stairs to the second floor landing, she couldn't help but glance down the hallway at the closed doors, knowing exactly who was behind them.
As she turned to lean against the railing overlooking the bar, Rin spotted a familiar head of chestnut hair among the patrons and hurried down the last set of stairs. She could see Shouhei and Kamamoto with him, in what appeared to be a deep discussion, and made her way up quietly behind them.
"-gotten worse in the past few weeks. Apparently, a few days ago they came in while Tamaki-san was working, and dragged her from behind the bar demanding information." Shouhei spoke in hushed tones.
"Fuckin' bastards," Misaki growled in response. "Beatin' up on a girl… She never stood a chance."
Shouhei leaned forward, but Rin was finally close enough that she could catch most of it. "-second time police haven't gone after the Yakuza for something like this. They're fighting dirty."
Kamamoto rubbed his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "It's strange, though, that Scepter 4 hasn't stepped in yet."
"Well, Kusanagi got wind that this might have been enough to force them in." Shouhei pointed out.
"Not those blue-coated assholes," Misaki grumbled, and Rin could see Kamamoto give him a look out of the corner of his eye.
Deciding it was time to make her presence known, Rin crossed the last few steps separating them.
"Oi, Tachibana-san!" Shouhei grinned at her as she slid in between Kamamoto and Misaki, the latter who jerked backwards and flushed in surprise. Shouhei's cheerfulness was infectious enough that she flashed a smile back at him.
"Yo," She nodded to the other two as she pulled up a stool next to them. "Did I hear you say something about Yakuza?"
Misaki twirled a plastic straw between his fingers, glaring at it as he spoke, "Bastards have been more active than usual, wanting information about HOMRA and King. They've been harassing some friends of ours."
"We're thinking of repaying the favor," Kamamoto chuckled.
Shouhei nodded in agreement. "I hear they've been holed up only a few blocks up in the back room of that one bar – eh, what's it called… Nihon! Two blocks away from Moda's."
Misaki suddenly pushed back from the table, swinging his bat over his shoulder. He glanced back at the bar and called, "Ah, Kusanagi-san, Mikoto-san, we'll take care of this for you."
Rin froze for a moment, not daring herself to look over her shoulder. She could feel a set of eyes on her, and could feel her pulse pounding through the wound on her forearm.
The other two had pushed away from the table as well and were following Misaki towards the bar's exit, while Kusanagi called out from behind the bar, "Glad to hear it, Yata-san. We're counting on you."
Rin spun around, and could see Kusanagi raising a hand in farewell to the boys. Mikoto leaned against the bar next to him, dipping his head in agreement. When he raised his eyes to meet hers, Rin felt her face grow hot.
"Tachibana-san!"
Rin twisted to look behind her, and saw an annoyed Misaki leaning against the doorframe. While he quickly glanced away, he pointedly jerked his head towards the exit, signaling that she should follow.
A bubble of excitement welled up in Rin, overpowering her flustered thoughts and her burning cheeks. She glanced once more at Mikoto, who was watching her with a cool expression, before swinging back around to catch up with the other three. At the exit of the bar she raised a hand in farewell, not looking back to see if it was returned, and hurried out into the night.
The four of them made their way through the winding streets, and Rin realized that she was completely unfamiliar with this section of the city. The other three, however, looked right at home. Shouhei waved a few familiar faces, and even Misaki managed to grin at a storeowner.
Their pace slowed as the turned onto the next block. It was dirtier than the main street, but the patrons strolling in and out of the businesses seemed friendly enough. They had only walked a few yards in when Kamamoto held out a hand in front of Misaki, cutting off the commander's path.
"What the fuck-?"
Kamamoto simply nodded at a building ahead on their right. It was small, as if the shop had been constructed in an alley between two buildings, and looked as if a harsh wind would cause it to collapse. The black sign above the door read "Moda", and in the dim light from the streetlamps Rin could make out, leaning against the frame of the door, the flash of blue coat tails and the tip of a sabre.
"Damn it, " Misaki growled.
"Yata-san…" Shouhei murmured a warning, as they slowly strode forward.
They slowed as they passed the entrance to the bar, and Rin glanced inside out of the corner of her eye. At least ten Scepter 4 agents filled the tiny room, with a few of them keeping watch near the entrance. One agent in particular kept his eyes fixed on her as they passed, and Rin's eyes narrowed in return. She watched as his hand slid to the hilt of his sabre, his gaze never faltering.
She glanced away once more and into the bar. A petite, dark-haired woman who looked as if she were Kusanagi-san's age was hunched over, speaking quietly to a fierce, blonde-haired woman. As if sensing their presence, the dark-haired woman looked up and through the doorway. Her eyes widened for a moment before softening, and she gave a small nod in their direction. Rin glanced over to see Misaki return the sentiment, and then hefted his bat over his shoulder once more.
"C'mon," he growled, turning down a wide alleyway to avoid the busy street ahead.
As Rin turned to follow him, a sinister chuckle to her right sent her leaping backwards in shock.
"Finally managing to talk to girls, Mi-sa-ki?"
Rin stumbled into the opposite wall of the alley, throwing out her hands to catch herself, before she looked up into the dark blue eyes of a Scepter 4 agent. He had hair dark enough to match his eyes, and looked to be similar in age. However, he towered over her, almost half a foot taller, and stared disdainfully down at where she had fallen.
"Shut up, Monkey, and I told you to stop calling me that!"
The blue haired agent hadn't taken his eyes off of her yet. "Tch, what makes this one so special?"
Rin's face colored in fury at his condescending tone, and she pushed herself to her feet. She took a step forward, glaring unblinkingly up at the arrogant prick in front of her, challenging him to say more now that she was on her feet.
Misaki's bat caught her in the shoulder, knocking her back a few steps and breaking her eye contact with the Scepter 4 agent. She winced slightly, knowing there was going to be a bruise there in the morning.
The blue haired man laughed, "Ah, Misaki, you still haven't learned how to be gentle with women. You forget," he smirked as his eyes traveled over to her. "They're delicate."
"Saruhiko-"
"Yata-san!" Shouhei's voice cut him off, and Misaki stilled for a moment. He was as taught as a bow string, and Rin could see his arms shaking with effort to keep himself from swinging his bat.
Her eyes narrowed at the newcomer, who seemed hell-bent on setting Misaki off.
"I see. Now that HOMRA's finally let in a woman, she's got you all whipped, has she? Tell me, Misaki, is she HOMRA's new whor-"
Misaki erupted, swinging has bat down at Saruhiko's face with a roar. Rin was surprised at how fast the agent moved, and he easily dodged Misaki's swing. As flames crawled up Misaki's wrist and bat, lighting up the alleyway in a flickering shade of red, she heard the telltale click of Saruhiko's sabre being unsheathed.
"Ah shit," Kamamoto mumbled behind her, as if this was not the first time he was witnessing this scene.
Misaki shouted curses as he swung and punched at the blue-haired agent. His opponent was just as adept at evading his attacks. The two seemed to dance around each other, flames and sparks flaring out when they connected. Saruhiko seemed intent on taunting Misaki, who grew more and more out of control as the fight continued.
Shouhei called out, "Yata-san, the Yakuza-" he winced as a particularly harsh blow sent Misaki crashing into the wall. "The Yakuza will only be there for so long!"
Misaki seemed unable to hear his words though, and was growing increasingly enraged by Saruhiko's whispered taunts.
Rin took a step closer towards the two. "Misaki-san!"
The bluet looked up to meet her gaze while dodging on punch aimed at his shoulder. "Ah, Misaki, the Red King's newest pet is telling you play time is over. Aren't you going to run along home?"
That was it. Rin had had enough.
Flames licked their way up her arms, and illuminated her face. Quick as a wink, she darted in the space between their bodies, shoving Misaki away in the process. She hooked her foot around Saruhiko's ankle, causing him to stumble back and take sharp jab she aimed at him in the rib. Without breaking momentum, she slid out from between them, bending low underneath his arm to deliver another sharp elbow to his ribs to send his stumbling.
Saruhiko's surprise quickly wore off, and he thrust his sabre at the exact spot where she was crouched low. His arm shot out as a fast as a cobra strike, but his blade met empty air and he soon found himself loosing his balance on his other foot.
Rin danced around his fists and blade, never really striking a crippling blow, but always delivering ones powerful enough to force Saruhiko to constantly check his balance and put him on the defensive.
Homura's commander had faltered when he realized he was no longer the center of Saruhiko's attention, and watched, stunned, as this petite, blonde girl dodged and weaved the bluet's attacks. She moved and twirled as if she were as flexible as udon, and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now that he was being ignored.
He never heard Kamamoto and Shouhei come up behind him, clamping two hands firmly on his shoulder to make sure he stayed put.
The manic grin had left Saruhiko's face, and was replaced with cold resentment. Rin was burning on pure fury from his casual insults, and found a sick enjoyment at watching his growing frustration at her maneuvering tactic. However, she stumbled in the darkness over a loose brick lying on the pavement, and Misaki watched as Saruhiko's blade sliced cleanly across her bicep. She let out a hiss of pain as a stream of blood quickly began to pour from the thin slice.
Red hot flames crept up her body, as she glared up at the bluet. "Alright, brat," She spit at him before darting forward as fast as the lightening that Scepter 4 wielded. "We. Don't. Have. Time. For. This." With each word she struck out at the bluet, who managed to parry each of her punches but was unable to land one of his own. She slipped around him as if she were made of water, and it only heightened his annoyance.
A sharp jab to his back sent him tumbling into the wall next to them, but he gracefully rose to his feet as if the entire exchange had simply been a warm up exercise.
"That's enough." Misaki had calmed enough where he was able to think rationally once more, and once again took control of the situation. He strode forward, harshly yanking Rin back by her bad arm. She swallowed the yelp she wanted to release, not wishing to hear another of Saruhiko's insults. "Yakuza won't be there for long," He growled, parroting Shouhei's words from before.
He kept a firm grasp on her injured arm as he steered them out of the other end of the alley. Rin could seem him glance back at Saruhiko over his shoulder, and could hear him let out a 'tch' under his breath.
"Basatrd…"
As they exited the alley, Rin found herself facing a dingy restaurant with a faded 'Nihon' sign next to the door. As she started forward, the hand on her arm jerked her back against the wall of the nearest building.
"What the hell was that?" Misaki hissed at her, hands pressed against the wall on either side of her head, successfully trapping her.
"You're easily distracted," She said bitingly, her voice just as low. "You let him rile you up too quickly."
"What?" His hands balled into fists as he shouted in her face. He turned to look at the other two for some sort of support. "Well-well you're too rash. You can't go running into a fight with someone you don't know-"
"I'm too rash?" She flared up, leaning forward until she was almost nose-to-nose with him. "You wasted our time getting into a fight with that prick."
He rolled his eyes, pushed off from the wall, and stalked off towards the shabby bar across the street. Kamamoto just shrugged and followed, while Shouhei waited for her with a sympathetic look on his face.
As the two of them followed in their wake, Rin spared a glance at the slice in her arm. It was the same one that she had cut her forearm with earlier that day, but this wound was merely a scrape by comparison. Noticing the smeared blood, she looked up at the auburn haired boy in front of her and could see his left hand was still clenched tightly in a fist, streaks of blood staining the sides of his palm.
She let out a sigh, causing Shouhei to glance curiously down at her.
"Are you alright?"
She gave him a half smile, "Peachy."
He grinned and faced forward again; his eyes on where Misaki and Kamamoto stood eyeing up the building in front of them. "Good," he chuckled. "Because we might need your help in here."
Rin followed his gaze, and saw that Misaki was still unable to look at her without seething.
Shouhei murmured in her ear, "And Misaki's always more dangerous when he's pissed off.'
Author's Note: Wow. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. You've all written such kind things, and I just want to hug you! I finally wanted to get some action going on here, especially after watching Episode 5. I also love how Misaki seems so gentlemanly when it comes to girls in the Episode (Ex: "Idiot, don't scare girls like that! I keep telling you don't threaten the ladies!") so I wanted to make Rin seem tough, and not helpless. Besides, joining Homura makes you a badass. Hope you all enjoyed! Also, how nice is it to FINALLY have a category for [K]? (Answer: Very nice!) Please review!