Chapter 19: Knight

The citizens kept a wide berth around them as they strode purposefully through the streets of downtown Shizume. Perhaps it was the sound of the King's chains clinking against the side of his jeans or the dangerous gleam in their commander's eyes. Whether they were locals who had heard of HOMRA or tourists that could sense the menacing aura surrounding them as they passed, Mikoto parted the sea of people as if he were Moses himself.

No one was stupid enough to cross the Red Clan's path.

Rin kept a close pace beside Mikoto, her hand keeping a firm grasp on Anna. The familiar scent of his cigarettes wafted back to her, and she saw him slip his lighter into his pocket. Rin always found his attachment to it amusing, particularly since its only purpose was something he was quite capable of producing on his own.

Her eyes were trained on spot between his shoulder blades, and Rin watched as his muscles flexed underneath the layers of clothing. It was entrancing, and her fingers twitched at the sight. She knew what they felt like beneath her palms, and her hands itched to touch him again.

They hadn't spoken much since the day he had pinned her against the wall of the bar. She had missed him terribly, that was undeniable, but her shame had overpowered any weaknesses so she spent as little time as possible in bar HOMRA. In fact, up until yesterday Rin had barely made eye contact with her King.

It was after she had returned with Anna from shopping that they finally came face to face. Izumo had slipped her money to buy Anna a new Lolita dress, and Rin had been happy to get the little girl out of the bar for a few hours. She could see the grim atmosphere taking a toll on HOMRA's youngest member, and had wanted nothing more than to see her eyes light up at some sort of distraction.

Upon their return, however, exhaustion had overwhelmed her and she had ducked upstairs without a word to the rest of her clansmen. Rin had been running on fumes for days now, skipping meals in favor of scoping out seedy backalleys for tips about this Colorless King from Shizume's lowest criminals, Most tips were from desperate junkies and only led to dead ends, but she always maintained hope that one of them – just one – might check out.

After checking up on Misaki yesterday, it seemed as if he was having as much luck as she was.

Rin had disappeared into her room as silent as a mouse, wanting nothing more than to sink into her covers for the next month and never come out. She had peeled off her shirt, wrinkling her nose at the smell, and pulled on a fresh one along with some shorts for sleeping. Leaning precariously against her dresser, she had almost had her socks peeled off when a large dark boot nudged open her door, startling her when it banged loudly against the wall.

There, standing unannounced in the threshold of her bedroom, was Mikoto.

They had stared at each other for a moment, both aware of the tension that radiated from them and filled the room. It had been obvious there was something off about him. He seemed almost agitated and unsure, raking a hand through his hair and avoiding her gaze for a few seconds. She had watched as his eyes skimmed over her small frame, taking in her loose pajamas and bare feet.

"You're not eating." It came out as a statement rather than a question, and Rin could hear the disapproval lacing his words.

Rin had frowned and turned away, rubbing her eyes with her knuckles as she attempted to make herself look busy by stowing away her dirty laundry. "M'not hungry." Honestly, all she had wanted to do was sleep.

A rough, calloused hand closed around her wrist, and gently tugged her back to look at him. She hadn't even heard him approach.

"You haven't slept," He had murmured, his fingers firmly keeping her locked in place, and this time it was Rin's turn to avert her gaze. She wasn't sure how long it had been. Two, maybe three days? All she knew was that sleep tugged at her eyelids, and the soft circles he was rubbing on her forearm with his thumb were doing her no favors. Rin wanted nothing more than to sink onto her cot, but only Mikoto's presence kept her steady on her feet.

He closed his eyes and Rin heard him release a soft sigh of annoyance. She had been about to glance up at his face when suddenly he yanked her roughly against his chest, tucking her head beneath his chin. His fingers, still warm against her wrist, continued their circular ministrations while his other hand found itself flattened against her lower back.

Rin pressed her face against his chest, not even ashamed at the effect he had on her. Exhaustion mixed with the pain she had stored up from her self-imposed isolation caused her eyes to well up with tears. A small sniffle escaped and she tried to cover it with a cough, pretending to clear her throat.

"M'sorry," She had whispered, her voice rough and muffled by his shirt.

Mikoto let out a grunt in response, one she felt reverberating from deep within his chest. She knew he wasn't one for words – neither was she for that matter – and had smiled instead when she felt his fingers slide down from her wrist and into her palm, lacing his large fingers with her own. She had let her head rest against the warm, smooth planes of his chest, pressing her cheek against the sculpted muscles that were hidden beneath his t-shirt.

Rin had craved this for some time now.

As if sensing the change in her mood, the redhead's chin slipped from atop her head and pulled back far enough for his lips to ghost along her forehead, making their way agonizingly slow down the side of her cheek. She was so distracted by his gentle caresses that she hadn't even noticed him gradually backing her up until her lower back bumped against the edge of her dresser top.

"Hm," Mikoto's lips had hovered a fraction above her own. "This seems familiar."

The sound of Chitose's door opening and the raucous laughter that echoed in the hallway caused Rin to jump nearly two feet in the air, successfully breaking her trance. It was too risky. The door was wide open. Anyone could peek in to check on her and then what would she-

Warm, smooth lips softly pressed against her own for a second, stunning her from her thoughts.

"Baka," His voice rumbled low, and she swore she had heard a hint of laughter. "Stop thinking so much."

Mikoto pulled back, leaving her breathless and flustered against her dresser. His eyes soaked up the image for a moment before turning on his heel to leave the way he came. Rin had been happy to note the ways his shoulders had relaxed and his aura seemed more at ease. Not to mention that damn lazy smirk that crept up his face as his disappeared out the door.

"Such a tease..." Rin had mumbled, climbing into bed after shutting the door so that could bury her beet red face under the covers. She had been happy no one could see her smiling into her pillow.

However, now was not the time to think of such distractions. She wasn't going to be of much use if she kept drooling over her clan's king.

As the various members of HOMRA departed for their assigned locations, Rin gave Anna's hand one last squeeze. The little's girl's crimson eyes locked on her as Rin nodded toward Mikoto, and almost immediately upon releasing her grip she latched onto the redhead's coat.

At once, Rin darted into the crowd, weaving through the pedestrians while trying to keep from attracting too much attention. She had exactly five minutes to reach the building's lobby before the other four arrived, and she had to have the two main security guards thoroughly distracted by that time. Shouhei, who was probably already changing into his costume, would be impersonating a pizza delivery guy. Bandou and Kamamoto would cover him, while Kusanagi would follow and notify Misaki once they were successful. Rin was under strict orders to take out the guards as soon as they passed through.

Four minutes.

The glass skyscraper rose up in front of her, the top seeming to disappear into the clouds. She scanned the rooftops of the nearby building, but still saw no sign of the commander and his skateboard. Turning back to the revolving doors, she pushed through the entrance and immediately caught sight of the clock situated on the wall to her left.

Three minutes.

Almost as soon as she set foot through the doors, the two lobby guards – a tall blonde and a brunette – approached her asking for a form of identification.

Rin's answer was already on the tip of her tongue, having practiced it in her head at least ten times on the way over. "I just called ten minutes ago, and the guy at the front desk told me that you have it. Now, please hand it over. My name is Ayuzawa Mei."

The two men were clearly puzzled and turned to each other to quietly discuss what she had said. Rin tapped her foot impatiently as if she was annoyed by their obvious confusion, but her eyes drifted over to the clock again.

Two minutes. She needed to move them. Now.

"Listen," She interrupted. "I don't have time for this. I have a meeting on the eighteenth floor in a half hour, and I need to meet with the technician to set up the projector. Just take me to the front desk and check to see if it's there. I'm sure you'll see my name on the sign out sheet from when I left for lunch."

Both guards paused at this, but since it was a completely logical idea and finding no real reason to deny her, they shrugged and motioned for her to follow them towards a desk on the far side of the room.

"With whom did you speak to when you called?" The taller man asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he spoke.

The slight sound of footsteps pattering behind her distracted her for a second, but Rin kept her eyes trained on the guard beside her. She had her own job to do.

"It was a man, I believe. I didn't catch his name, as I was rather in a hurry. Some idiot at Starbucks spilled coffee over my suit and I only had a change of causal clothes in my car," She snapped, fibbing through her teeth as she pointed to her outfit. Rin knew she looked rather out of place in the building, and hoped they wouldn't start asking questions she couldn't answer. They had a very small window of opportunity, and she knew the jig would be up the moment they paged through the list and discovered no record of 'Ayuzawa Mei'. So Rin did something completely out of character for herself, but totally typical of Ayuzawa Mei.

She threw a fit.

"Honestly," She huffed. "If this is how the security office runs on a daily basis I will be sure to have a word with your superiors. I was specifically told that my I.D. would be in the top drawer at the front desk, and all I would have to do was walk in to pick it up. Don't any of you keep notes of this, or share this information with each other in case someone is on break? Where is the man I spoke to earlier, anyway? I want to speak directly with him. He seems to be the only one that knows what's going on here-"

"Miss, please-"

Rin poked a finger into his chest, glaring angrily up at the guard. His partner seemed to find the whole situation amusing. She didn't care. As long as they were distracted, she considered it all a job well done.

"No, don't you 'Miss' me. I have had a horrible day! I have a presentation in twenty minutes, my best suit is ruined, and I don't have time to deal with your lack of organization. Now, once again, where-"

At that moment, their walkie-talkies burst with static noise and a few shouts were heard on the streets as glass rained down on the pedestrians from above. Frantic voices sounded over the speakers and the guards instantly went on the alert, repeatedly trying to make contact whomever called.

Without thinking, Rin kicked in the knees of the guard standing directly in front of her, and smashed his blonde head against the countertop as he went down for good measure. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

The second guard had some time to react, but instead of going for a weapon he reached to pin her down against the counter. Rin bent backwards until her hands touched the countertop, vaulting over the desk so that she landed on the opposite side directly facing him with the counter in-between. Her hip had bumped the wheeled office chair that was stationed behind the desk, but otherwise she had landed steadily on her feet.

Teeth bared and his eyes flicking to the still form of his partner, the brunette reached towards his hip for his gun. With a grunt, Rin heaved the rather heavy piece of furniture over the countertop and watched as it smashed into the smaller man's body. He toppled backwards, and Rin darted from behind the desk as he let out a moan of pain. Glancing back over her shoulder to make sure his partner was still knocked out, Rin sharply kicked the brunette in the back of the head so that the noises ceased and he, too, went limp.

Straightening up, Rin strode back behind the desk to scan the directory of floors before punching the elevator button to take her up. Judging from the glass that had rained down outside, Misaki and the rest of the clan were probably already inside the American syndicate's headquarters.

Rin found she guessed correctly as soon as the elevator doors opened. She had taken less than two steps on the fifteenth floor before an explosion rocked the building, undoubtedly sending the other business floors into lockdown. She realized Mikoto must have gotten there sooner than she expected. Darting down the hallway to her left where the emergency lights were flashing, she arrived in time to see most of the American gang members lying unconscious on the floor. Only one man remained alert, although his forehead was already beginning to swell and bruise, and his eyes were wide with fright as he stared at the alabaster-haired girl in front of him.

Running a hand through her hair, Rin let out a chuckle as she surveyed the room. "Seems like Yata-san's bat had all the fun."

Rikio snorted beside her, and Rin couldn't hold back a grin. Her eyes flicked back to Anna, and despite seeing Izumo sitting on the couch next to this corrupt man, she didn't like the little girl being so close to a criminal.

With a sigh, Anna stood back and slipped her marble back into the folds of her Lolita dress. "Says he doesn't know."

A sigh of disappointment seemed to fall over the entire room. Mikoto was the first to turn away with a shrug.

"I see… Let's go."

They all turned, following in Mikoto's footsteps. Rin held out a hand for Anna and murmured, "C'mon, Anna-chan. Hurry up." She let out a sigh of relief she hadn't realized she had been holding when she felt the little girl's small hand reach out to grasp her own.

"Tch, fuck this guy!" Misaki scoffed, swinging his bat over his shoulders as he followed the two girls. Kamamoto trailed by his side.

"All this action makes me hungry."

"Shut up, fatty."

As they made their way back down the second floor, Mikoto had no problem blowing holes out of the entire building. The rest of the clan kept silent, well aware of Mikoto's silent irritation over having discovered nothing. Sparks licked at his boots, and the floor cracked and sizzled from the heat. Even Izumo held his tongue as his King blasted the final hole into the lobby of the building. Only the sight of the wall of riot guards and the entire horde of SCEPTER 4 blocking their path made him click his tongue with impatience.

"Ah, SCEPTER 4 has entered the building… What should we do, Mikoto?"

Rin could see a slight flicker of amusement in her King's eyes as he scanned the mass of blue agents.

"Burn 'em."

Misaki's fist punched the air as he cheered, "All right! Let's do it, guys! No blood, no bone, no ash!"

Rin's voice rose with the others' chants, taunting the rival King's followers with threats of violence and destruction. She faltered only for a moment when Mikoto stepped casually over the railing and landed twenty feet below, his aura blazing as he straightened. Rin watched as the fireball swirled around him, a beautiful array of red and pink flames. She could hear Anna sigh near her hip, and glanced down to see her crimson eyes glowing brightly.

"Mikoto's red…is the prettiest."

Rin grinned as Mikoto's fireball erupted, blowing their hair back and melting the metal lamps that hung from the ceiling. It burst through the front door, and Rin could hear the shouts as people stared into the sky. Glancing up, her mouth, too, dropped open in surprise. She had never seen Mikoto's Sword of Damocles. It was…enormous. Crumbling in some places, but still powerful enough to emit crackling flares of red lighting and flames. She had never seen anything like it.

The SCEPTER 4 agents noticed it too, staring openly up at the large sword hovering in the sky. Only one man, their King, remained completely composed. Rin moved closer, making sure to keep Anna shielded behind her, as the Blue King called to Mikoto.

"Very well. We shall advance with swords in hands, for our cause is pure!"

"Men, draw your swords!" A female voice shouted from behind, and Rin's eyes flicked to the figure behind the Blue King. She hadn't noticed the woman amongst all the men, though she clearly held rank above most. She stood tall and proud, and her eyes flashed in disdain towards Mikoto. Her moves were graceful as she unsheathed her sword, ordering the rest of her soldiers to follow suit. The hairs on the back of Rin's neck stood up at the sound of multiple blades being drawn, and the air crackled with electricity as the Blue King, Munakata Reisi, sent a powerful blast in return.

Rin braced herself in front of Anna, but it passed over her like it was nothing more than a breeze. It pulsed around Mikoto, but did little more than ruffle his hair. His aura was strong enough that it shielded her and the rest of HOMRA from any of the Blue King's energy waves.

That still did nothing to ease the tension in Rin's chest. She didn't want Anna getting anywhere close to the blue clan. She had heard the rumors of SCEPTER 4 and their interest in strains, and the last thing she wanted was to draw attention to the eleven-year-old girl. An emergency exit to their left caught Rin's eye, and she bent low to Anna's ear.

"Anna-chan, come with me," She murmured as the rest of HOMRA leapt over the railing to join their king on the ground floor with large grins on their faces. Quietly ducking into the stairwell, Rin hurriedly tugged Anna down the stairs until they reached the ground floor. While the SCEPTER 4 agents seemed to have the front door covered, the side door to the street must have been overlooked in their hurry.

"Stay here, Anna, until we come get you. Ok?"

She nodded, a fierce look in her eyes that seemed so out of place on her doll-like face that it made Rin smile. She patted her gently on the head and whispered, "You can peek, but only peek, ok?" Then, she slipped out the door back into the lobby, keeping it cracked just enough for a small crimson eye to peep through.

Her entrance was enough of a distraction that the Blue King's icy gaze slid over to her, and his eyes widened in surprise. After a second, a flash of amusement glinted in those violet depths, and his attention returned to Mikoto.

"So, Suoh," His voice remained polite, but there was something about the way he spoke that raised her hackles. "I see you finally caved."

"Ah, Munakata," Mikoto nonchalantly stretched his arms behind his head, openly grinning at his opponent. "After she beat one of your SCEPTER 4 agents, how could I refuse?"

Rin held her tongue. She knew he was deliberately egging the Blue King on. Instead, her attention flicked to his lieutenant, whom was staring right back her. The two women locked eyes for a moment, and Rin couldn't help the corner of her mouth tilting upwards in a smirk. The lieutenant's mouth hardened into a line but otherwise she remained composed, and Rin let out a bark of laughter as Mikoto's aura began to swirl around them once more.

The blues raised their swords and a wave of energy slammed into the Red King's shield, passing over them like wind from a hurricane. This time, however, as soon as the last of the blue's energy dispersed Mikoto's aura disappeared.

"Miko-" Rin glanced sharply at the redhead, but instead ended up catching Izumo's eye, who shook his head and cut her off mid-breath. The second in command nodded his head towards the emergency exit stairwell that Anna was hiding in, and Rin frowned in confusion.

They were abandoning him?

Glancing around at the rest of the clan, she saw that they had all backed away and were bolting for the exit, reluctantly following orders. Gnashing her teeth together, Rin turned sharply and darted towards the stairwell with Izumo hot on her heels.

"Anna-"

"Stairwell." She cut him off, furious that they were leaving Mikoto behind. Glancing back behind her, she could see her king standing tall and relaxed with his hands in his pockets as the Blue King approached. Rin could no longer hear what they were saying, and, after a few moments longer, let herself be pulled away by the rest of her clansmen.

Once they were on the safety of the street, Misaki was up in Izumo's face almost immediately.

"What the hell is he doing in there?" The redhead shouted angrily, and Rin was two seconds behind him backing him up.

"Kusanagi-san, why the fuck did we leave him in there?"

Izumo held up a hand for them both to stop talking and motioned for the group to keep moving away from the building. No need for all of HOMRA to be locked up in one day.

"Mikoto's got a plan, why else do you think he'd let himself get captured? Besides, we still need to find the man who calls himself the Colorless King." The blonde man stared pointedly at the younger commander, who calmed himself under the intense glare. The bartender's words seemed to satisfy Misaki enough to shut up him up for the time being. He couldn't argue with their second-in-command, not when he knew they still had a job to be doing. Ducking his head in a nod of understanding, Misaki threw down his skateboard and disappeared into the crowd within a few seconds.

"OI! Yata-san! YATA-SAN!" Rikio shouted after him. Shaking his head, the large man took hold of Anna's hand and began to steer the two of them in the direction of bar HOMRA. Shouhei trailed behind them, and Rin could hear him ask Anna if she was hungry. She frowned when she saw the the little girl shake her head in response.

"Kamamoto-san," She called. "Make sure she eats something."

He nodded his head to show he understood.

Rin turned back to Izumo and frowned at him, unwilling to let the older man off the hook so easy. The bartender sighed and adjusted his glasses.

"Tachibana-san, Mikoto let himself be captured so that we could find this guy with SCEPTER 4 hanging over our heads. While they're distracted with arresting him, we're free to hunt down that bastard that killed Totsuka, understand?"

Rin seemed to deflate. As much as she hated it, she supposed it made sense. It was rather reckless though, although Mikoto wasn't really one for thinking through his actions. Lowering her gaze, she mumbled an apology for being so rude.

Izumo laughed and patted her gently on the head. "C'mon, we'll get something to eat and then spread out. You're looking far too thin these days, Tachibana-san. Besides, I'm sure Yata-san's already out hunting for him."

At this, Rin shook her head. "I'm sure the boys have this guy covered. If there's anyone who'll find him, it's Yata-san." Glancing out at the street behind her, she could see the tall peak of a church just peeking out from behind a billboard sign. On the opposite side of the street from that, about four buildings down, was an exotic dancers club with a loft above it. She knew this because she had been staking it out for the past few days. Rin wasn't going to pass up another chance to scope it out, not when the rest of HOMRA was so distracted. She had no idea if Niaka was working with the American crime syndicates, but she needed to get on the inside and find out exactly what they knew. She had her own killer to catch, one that she was hunting alone, and she would never pass up an opportunity to put a bullet in his brain if it arose.

"I'll be back before midnight."

Author's Note:I hope you all liked the chapter! I was so excited to rewatch the anime and piece together what could have happened in between scenes. I just love that opening scene so much, and I never noticed that Kamamoto started talking about how hungry he was right after they beat up those guys in the skyscraper. Totally made me laugh! (Is my HOMRA fangirl side showing yet?) I always wondered, though, what happened to Anna when SCEPTER 4 came? She was in the room with those mob bosses, and then suddenly is back at HOMRA. But that whole scene in between where it's HOMRA vs. SCEPTER 4 there is no sign of her and none of the clansmen are missing, meaning none of them could have taken her home. I also realized I really liked the idea of Rin finally meeting Seri for the first time. Something about them both being the only females in their respective clans… Also, I will be spending the next week or so in Key West, Florida for my spring break, so I tried to make this one longer since it will probably be a little while before I will be posting again. Let me know your thoughts on the chapter! I love reading each of your reviews, and I try to PM a response to every one of you. I'll also leave little notes here on the bottom for those of you that don't have FanFiction accounts.

To the Reviewers Without Accounts:

Sarah404: I know you have an account and I PM you all the time, but you deserve another shout out for being just awesome, AGAIN. Not only did you find me the K Radio Dramas, but you also translated the Café Homra scene for me and found the End of the Year Party K Drama video translation. I just…. I need to hug you. Here is a massive hug. And flowers. And Mikoto. Yes, you deserve Mikoto for this. Thank you thank you thank you!

THEotaku: Oh my gosh! I hope you feel better soon! Lots of bed rest and plenty of fluids 'til you get back on your feet. I actually tried to update this sooner purely because of your review, so that way you'd have another chapter to read! Feel better, hun, and thank you again for your review! Keep me posted on how you're feeling!

Swirlspill: Don't get too nervous about the ending yet! I have an idea for what I'd like to do with it, but I'm not giving any hints about it just yet. I always look forward to your reviews in my inbox, so thank you for being such a regular reader!

Guest: And I appreciate you keeping an eye out for me. If you happen to notice it again or anywhere else, don't hesitate to contact me again! And that makes me so happy to hear that! You know, I actually considered doing a chapter on Misaki's reaction but I decided against it; partly because I felt that too many sad chapters would cause the story to drag a bit and partly because I feel that neither of them are good with expressing their emotions so it would have felt like a little bit of a choppy chapter. I'm so glad you catch some of the little details though about the similarities between Rin and Yata now too! Thanks for such a lovely review and for your constant support!

Familiar Guest: I read all reviews, no matter the length! Thank you for the compliment about "Red" being engaging. You are correct in saying there is no greater compliment than the love and support from my reviewers. That said, I left that message last chapter so that the Guest above understood that everything was fine. The similarities between this specific story's first two chapters and Red had been noticeable enough that two other people had notified me on top of that. When three people felt it was necessary I looked into it, I did. The issue was regarding specific noticeable similarities, not the general storyline. Of course I'm not the first person to have an OC female join HOMRA. That was never in question. But, the issue has been cleared and we can move on! It's unfortunate you're not impressed with the story. Can't win 'em all, I guess! I'm glad you expressed your opinion, however, I write what I feel is necessary to my character and the story regardless of whether it seems predictable. If it's written, there's a reason for it. I appreciate the review, though!

Miechan-ish: Don't worry, MikoRin is always at the forefront of my mind. It's unfortunate he is locked up the first episode… but that makes a reunion all the more sweeter. *fangirlish screaming* Anyway, I felt like Rin deserves some action, and I'm looking forward to having the time to focus on Niaka a little more again.