Chapter 15: Reckless

"Tachibana-san!"

Rin had been absentmindedly running her finger along her bottom lip, tracing the edge with the tip of her nail. She hadn't even realized what she was doing until Tatara's voice startled her from her daze, and she shook her head to clear the fogginess from her brain.

They had, once again, had to make a trip to the grocery store for ingredients since Tatara had forgotten a few the last time around. The light haired man rested his elbow on the shelf next to him, a knowing smile creeping along his face.

"What?" She snapped, irritated that he caught her off guard, but Tatara's smile only widened. As a blush began to spread across her cheeks, Rin grabbed a box of crackers that were stocked on the shelf beside her and shoved it into his face, blocking his smirk from her view.

His eyebrows rose in surprise, but she could see the mischievous glint that sparkled in his eyes as he peeked out from behind the box. "Oi, Tachibana-san, we don't need any more crackers! Shouldn't you be paying more attention rather than day dreaming?" He teased.

Turning sharply on her heel while a furious flush rose on her cheeks, she grumbled about the older man's own uselessness at shopping. "Weren't you the one in charge of buying ingredients last time, Totsuka-san?" Rin muttered as she stormed down the aisle, attempting to hide her stubborn blush until in faded. "It's your own fault that we're back here two days before Anna-chan's birthday party."

Tatara appeared by her elbow with a basket as they turned the corner to the next aisle, finding Mikoto and Anna to be only a few feet away by a section filled with sprinkles and other decorative toppings. "And yours too, don't forget," He chided as they approached the other two. "Tachibana-san is officially turning twenty! Isn't that great, Mikoto-san?" He grinned, elbowing the Red King lightly in the ribs.

Amber eyes flicked from the shelf of sprinkles to the younger man before sliding over to rest on Rin, who felt as if the top of her head was going to explode.

Pushing past the three of them, she took off down the aisle, shouting back apologies and something about needing to pick up soda for Kusanagi's bar. As she strode away, Rin gritted her teeth and hunched her shoulders; she could feel a particular set of amber eyes on her back.

She couldn't help it. Lately it seemed Rin had a hard time staying focused. She'd often find her mind wandering back to that night in the kitchen, and the heat that had radiated between the two of them. She could still feel his hands buried in her hair, warm and strong, and the taste of his cigarettes on her tongue.

That wasn't to say that was the last time he had kissed her. Mikoto simply wasn't one for openly partaking in public displays of affection, especially not in front of the rest of the clan. Neither of them were quite ready for the others to know about the two of them yet; whatever they were, that is. They hadn't discussed anything of that sort yet, and, frankly, Rin was content with that as it was. In all honestly, she probably wanted to keep it a secret even more than Mikoto. She didn't need her identity to suddenly shift from Tachibana Rin to the Red King's newest girlfriend.

And Tatara's stupid little smirks weren't helping to keep things on the down low. Rin swore he just liked to see her blush from embarrassment.

Rin strolled along the aisle next to the deli meats, completely forgetting her excuse for heading towards the front of the store in the first place.

Truthfully, it was probably a blessing the rest of the clan had no idea about the two of them yet. Besides, she didn't need extravagant declarations or anything in a relationship. It was the little things that Mikoto did that warmed Rin down to her toes: the way his arm would rest against the back of her barstool and his fingertips would lightly trace her HOMRA tattoo, her hair and their seated positions hiding any evidence of his ministrations. Or the other night, when it was only the two of them left in the bar: Mikoto risked tugging on her hand and pulling her down until she dropped into his lap, her legs spread as she straddled him and he gently kissed her until Rin's worries that someone might spot them got the better of her. He was a tempting distraction, to say the least.

So tempting that, had he been next to her at that moment, Rin might not have noticed what was just passing by the line of storefront windows.

But she did. Mid-step, Rin froze, her hand resting against the glass of the deli meats as she gazed wide-eyed at the line of glass near the front entrance. Her shoulders began to shake as she stared unblinkingly at the group of men passing by the store on the sidewalk outside. It was too good to be true. Ever since that night Scepter 4's third-in-command had interceded, the trail had gone cold.

But he was unmistakable. Surrounded by three of his men, all of whom wore the same curved insignia, Rin would recognize that mop of dark hair and the thin, wire-framed glasses anywhere.

After days of empty leads, here he was – Takashi Yamaken, head of the Niaka gang and the man who was responsible for the death of her sister - passing right in front of her, unaware that the person who was so desperately hunting him was only a few feet away.

Rin's feet seemed to move of their own accord, hurling her towards the exit doors without pausing to glance back behind her. Stumbling out into the evening air, her head snapped back and forth for any sign of the group of men. A distinctly male chorus of laughter drifted over from around the corner to her left, and her blood ran cold in recognition. She had heard one of those voices before, chuckling at her when she had been lying half drunk and frozen beneath the underpass of the freeway months ago.

For a split second, Rin had a moment of clarity as she turned to glance over her shoulder back into the store. There wasn't much time. Perhaps she could slip away and be back before anyone noticed she was even missing? Tatara still had three more ingredients to find, plus the time it would take to pay for it all.

This was her only chance. All she need was one look, just to be sure. Pulling up the hood of her utility jacket, Rin turned her back on the grocery store and followed the sounds of the fading laughter.

It was well past eleven o'clock by the time Rin crossed the threshold of the HOMRA bar; the sound of the door swinging shut behind her echoed uncomfortably throughout the silent room. A confused frown creased her forehead as she stared at the empty barstools.

"Wha-"

Her question stuck in her throat as she caught sight of the Red King sitting perfectly still on the far end of the couch, his eyes closed and his head tilted back. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned to see Misaki and Tatara climbing the stairs to the next floor, refusing to meet her gaze.

"Totsuka-san…" She said softly.

Another shadow moved near the bar, and Rin watched as Izumo paused in the doorway to the kitchen for a moment before disappearing into the other room.

"Kusanagi-san?"

A door clicked shut on the second floor, leaving just the two of them in the bar. Rin took a step forward into the room, and Mikoto's eyes snapped open.

Suddenly, it felt as if a heat wave had settled over the bar. Mikoto's displeasure radiated from him like flares off the sun. Tawny eyes blazed in anger at her from across the room, and Rin found herself unable to meet his gaze.

The springs of the sofa squeaked as Mikoto pushed himself to his feet. His boots reverberated against the floorboards, and with each step Rin's back tensed a little more. As his black laces came into her line of view, her mind flashed back to their first meeting a few months ago; the mirror image was not lost on her.

"Running away seems to be a habit of yours." Mikoto's voice was low and laced with irritation. "Almost to a fault."

"I wasn't running away-" Rin started in a firm voice, but bit down on the inside of her cheek. Her back was rigid and proud. While she couldn't look her King in the face, she refused to back down completely. "Look, I'm sorry-"

"No, you're not." He rumbled, immediately cutting her half-hearted apology off. Mikoto paused for a moment, and she could feel his eyes searing the top of her head. His voice was cold as he asked, "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Rin couldn't help her lip curling back in satisfaction, and she knew Mikoto could see her smirk despite her bangs hiding most of her face. She knew where to find Yamaken now. There would be no more places to hide. Their sloppiness would now be their undoing, Rin would make sure of that.

"Yes," She whispered, her satisfaction plainly evident.

When he made no response, Rin raised her head a fraction. Mikoto had his hands shoved into his pockets, and had tilted his head back to frown at the ceiling. The heat in the room began to recede, and Rin could see the redhead's shoulders begin to relax as he lowered his head once more to look at her.

Without warning, Mikoto crossed the distance between them, his quick shift of mood surprising her slightly. Rin was happy to see the frown that had creased his face had disappeared and was now smooth, but was startled when he bent low to gently rest his forehead against her own. The heat from his amber eyes had cooled, leaving his gaze soft and warmed her insides.

Gently brushing his thumb along her cheek to her chin, Rin relaxed into his touch. The corner of his mouth twitched in amusement at her response, and Mikoto bent low to murmur in her ear.

"Try not to be so reckless."

Author's Note: So glad to hear such great reviews from everyone about the last chapter! And thank you to my YataRin fans who are still willing to stick around to see what happens. And some of you thought the rated chapter was coming already, but NOPE. I promised I would put a warning before I post that, so you will know when it's coming!

I admit that I wear the cone of shame because I haven't updated in a while. Life has been crazy here. After winter break I had to head back and unpack all over again in my apartment, had multiple scholarship interviews, had study abroad program forms I needed to complete ASAP (I got accepted for September! ЗДРАВСТВУЙТЕ, САНКТ-ПЕТЕРБУРГ!), LSAT prep and test, got sick for a week, a new internship, a new job, celebrated my 21st birthday, and then just the general everyday studies of Uni. PHEW. I know some of you probably want to punch me for the wait, but thank you all for putting up with me and being patient. Life gets busy and sometimes some things need to be put on hold. One thousand hugs and gold stars to those of you who put up with the wait! I already have the next chapter outlined and am in the process of writing it!