Chapter 20: The Black Dog

The sign for the "Seventh Heaven's Exotic Dance Club" looked dull and dirty in the high-noon sunlight, although Rin supposed it hardly looked any better at night when it was lit, what with its neon light blinking erratically from a faulty bulb.

Rin sat on a park bench only a block away, one knee pulled up to rest beneath her chin and a cigarette balanced between her lips. A frown creased between her eyebrows as she stared thoughtfully at the rundown building. She exhaled a puff from her nose, watching the smoke curl as it rose up in front of her, before plucking the cigarette from her mouth to roll it between her fingers.

No doubt Mikoto was missing one of these right about now. She was certain the Blue King would hardly allow him a smoke break while he was in custody. Shifting her gaze from strip club, Rin stared down at the bits of ash still glowing in her cigarette stub.

As silly as it sounded, her heart pined for him like a lovesick schoolgirl. She found her mind drifting to him often – sometimes to the point where she was nervous someone could clearly read her thoughts on her face – and swore to herself that she would shut down that side of her brain while he was…away. There was no doubt in her mind that Mikoto would be furious if he found out the newest scheme she was contemplating, and she needed to use her time wisely to get as much information as possible before he, undoubtedly, stepped in and put a stop to it. She had been mulling it over since yesterday, when the opportunity had been practically thrown in her lap.

After leaving a rather dumbfounded Kusanagi yesterday, Rin had made her way over to the seedy club and waited until the usual patrons had begun to pour in. She had staked out the place enough to know that minutes after Niaka entered, the light went on in the loft upstairs. However, there was no easy way to see inside – she had even tried spying through the church's bell tower across the street – and the blinds usually were snapped shut almost immediately, that is if they were even open to begin with. Despite wanting never to step foot inside such a place, she was left with little alternatives. So, after days of keeping tabs on the site, Rin slipped inside after one of the patrons, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, but it didn't take her long after that to realize that she was surrounded by some of the lowest inhabitants of Shizume City. Criminals, drunks, perverts – all of whom were gazing up with glassy eyes at the young dancers twirling around the stage. Her heart sank as she, too, stared at the girls. Rin could see through the layers of makeup and the skimpy clothes enough that it was clear half of them were barely legal. No doubt runaways or something of the sort. As she scanned the rest of the room she could see that the bartenders and servers wore slightly less revealing clothing, but Rin's face still reddened at the sight of such skimpy outfits.

She must have been standing near the door too long because Rin had soon felt a tap on her shoulder, startling her from her daze. At her side was a woman, probably no more than two or three years her senior, with a cocktail tray balanced in one hand. Her hair was a fire engine red, something she clearly had to dye judging by the dark roots near her scalp, and she wore a shimmery metallic bikini top of the same color. She stared down at Rin with dark eyes, cocking a questioning eyebrow but smiling widely at her nonetheless. Rin guessed she wasn't the usual looking customer.

The redhead nodded towards the stage. "Lookin' for a dance, sweetheart?"

Rin could feel her face heat up all the way to her ears, and she put her hands up in front of her as she shook her head. "N-no," She stuttered, her voice coming out slightly squeaky in embarrassment. Rin had never really been that comfortable with her own body, much less seeing these women flaunt theirs' so openly. "I'm not here for that."

The woman's eyes seemed to soften for a second as she looked her up and down, taking in Rin's awkward stance and averted gaze. She glanced over her shoulder for a second before leaning in to whisper in her ear, "Just don't stand here too long. Find someplace to sit or make yourself scarce before Takumi comes out here and harasses you." She bent back a fraction so that she could see Rin's face, making sure that she understood, before turning on her ridiculously high heels to head back towards the bar.

Rin appreciated the warning, wanting nothing more than to melt in with the crowd to keep an eye out for Niaka. However, after having scanned the tables and finding none available, she turned followed the redhead server towards the bar, ordering up a cocktail so as to look occupied and keep herself from drawing any more attention.

Pulling her hood up and tucking her hair back, Rin's eyes drifted back to the patrons seated at the tables lining the stage; practically drooling into their glasses… Her lip curled back in disgust at the sight. As she scanned the rest of the room, she noticed an unmarked door to her right near the end of the bar. A couple of the girls passed in and out, but most of the dancers seemed to be exiting from the door on stage. Since the door to the cooler was directly behind the bar, it left Rin to wonder what purpose the nondescript door served.

Her brows furrowed, but before she could investigate it further the sound of boisterous laughter boomed from the entrance as a group of six or seven men entered. She glanced up automatically but turned away sharply when she caught sight of the familiar six-pointed star and swirling insignia, tugging the corner of her hood down father so that most of her face was cast into darkness. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as they passed behind her, guffawing loudly as they ducked through the unmarked door and disappeared from sight.

Sliding off her chair without a sound, Rin followed hot on their heels and was about to slip through the closing door when a hand caught her by the shoulder and jerked her back.

"VIP and dancers only," Said a harsh voice, and Rin spun around to face a rather scrawny man with greasy hair and beady eyes. Upon seeing her annoyed expression as her hood slid back, he immediately let go of her shoulder and held up his hands in apology. "Mean ya no harm, doll. "

Rin pulled her hood back over her head, scanning the room to make sure there weren't any straggler Niaka members hanging around who could have recognized her. She hadn't known what to expect coming in here, but she felt a little uneasy trying to lie through her teeth at each new interruption. All she wanted was to get as close as she possibly could to the Niaka members without giving herself away, gather as much information as possible about Yamaken so that she could find him and take him out with as little witnesses as possible.

All that stood in her way was that damn door and this slimy creep.

It took most of her self control to keep from shrugging out of his grip and sending him flying into his own bar, but – since she guessed this was the club's owner or bouncer – she knew that would do nothing more than blow her cover. So she kept still, feigning innocence and averting her eyes.

The man bent lower, smiling wide enough to expose a gold tooth in the right corner of his mouth, and Rin found herself distracted by the sight of it. It looked positively ridiculous on his sallow face, like a child trying to dress up to look more like an adult and only resulting in looking more ludicrous. However, he bent low to her face so that he could look her in the eyes.

"You lookin' for work, sweetheart?"

Rin hated how everyone kept calling her that, but after a few seconds his sentenced registered in her mind her face flushed red as she backed away out of his grip. She hadn't expected having this conversation when she first entered.

Despite her expression and silence, he pushed further. "You'd be perfect. Let's see here…" He mumbled as he stepped around her, taking her in at different angles. "Not too bad. Little skinny, but most of 'em don't mind that. Nice enough tits, cute face. We could have you working VIP in no time." He nodded to the side door at this, as if it would sell her on the offer.

Waving her hands in front of her, Rin shook her head and began to back out, wanting nothing more than to get outside and regroup. What she needed was time to come up with some sort of coherent plan instead of making it up on the fly.

But the greasy haired man followed, leaning closer. "Ah, ah, ah, don't worry. I know your type," He scoffed, his eyes drifting to one of the younger girls dancing on the stage. "You'll be back. "

Just as Rin was about to duck out the door, his hand snaked out and latched on her wrist. She had to swallow down the flames that threatened to ignite in her fist.

"M'names Takumi, by the way. I own the place. Let me know when you want that job. We're looking for a server. No dancing required."

And with that, he released her, cocking an eyebrow once before disappearing back into the hazy smoke that seemed to permeate the bar. Nonplussed, Rin backed out of the door, keeping an eye on the patrons in front of her until she felt a cool breeze on her back and her eyes readjusted to the setting sun.

She felt flustered the entire walk back to bar HOMRA.

It wasn't until she pushed through the heavy wooden doors that all thoughts of Seventh Heaven and Niaka flew from her mind. Rin paused in the doorway to take in the sight of Misaki pacing across the bar, visibly furious. He looked a little worse for wear, but nothing serious enough to make her worry.

The sound of the door slamming shut behind her caused the redhead to pause mid-sentence and glance up.

"Damn, what's the other guy look like, Yata-san?" Rin grinned, clearly wishing to raise Misaki's hackles.

He took the bait.

"That fucking Black Dog! What the hell kind of power was that anyway? It was like he could bend the air or some shit. And I swear to God, that punk is hiding that white-haired bastard somewhere in the city-"

"Black Dog?" Rin interrupted, amused by Misaki's endless yapping but curious at the unfamiliar name.

"Yatogami Kuroh," Izumo called from the back of the room, and Rin pushed past Misaki to make her way over to the blonde bartender. "He's also called The Black Dog. He was the former vassal to the last Colorless King, Ichigen Miwa. Very skilled…" He trailed off, a slight smirk on his face as his eyes flicked to the fuming redhead, and Rin could see where Eric got the idea for his nickname. Misaki looked like a little ruffled Chihuahua who had a bone to pick with another dog. It was almost cute.

She must have accidentally voiced her thoughts, though, because suddenly Misaki's head snapped up. "Shut the hell up, Tachibana-san!" He barked, storming off towards the stairs.

Rin, still struggling to wipe her smile off her face, half heartedly called an apology to his retreating back, but waved him off when she heard the sound of his bedroom door slamming shut.

"Eh," Rin sighed, turning back to Izumo. "He'll get over it."

She expected him to laugh Misaki's temperament off with her, but instead he placed two hands on the bar and gave her a stern look.

"And what about you, Tachibana-san? Where have you been?"

Rin shrugged noncommittally, giving him a hard look from under her long lashes. He opened his mouth with a look on his face as if to admonish her, but the sound of soft pattering footsteps drew their attention to the stairs.

With her long alabaster hair hanging pin-straight down the front of her light nightdress, Anna looked like a little doll. It was strange to see someone who's face resembled Ayami's so much, and yet dressed and acted so differently.

Stopping just a few inches short of her chair, Anna looked up with wide eyes at the two of them.

"Anna-chan," Izumo said gently. "You should be going to bed. It's nine o'clock. You know the rules."

"I'm cold," The little girl responded quietly, her eyes landing on Rin who frowned in return.

"Well why aren't you wearing a sweater or some slippers? You'll catch something if you keep walking around in only your nightgown," She murmured, sliding off her chair to bend down so that the two of them were at eye level.

Anna's reply was soft. "It's only warm by Mikoto."

Rin's words stuck and her throat, and it suddenly struck her how hard this must now be for Anna with Mikoto locked up in a cell at SCEPTER 4's headquarters. Despite knowing he wasn't hurt in anyway, Rin still felt an ache from not having him near, and knew that it hurt twice as much for the small girl standing in front of her. The two of them were practically attached at the hip, Anna and Mikoto.

"Rin is warm…" Anna's voice was so hushed, Rin had to strain to hear it. And this time, when Anna's wide eyes looked up at her from under those long lashes, Ayami's face flashed across her vision for a split second, molding itself onto Anna's face until bright azure eyes bled back to crimson and suddenly it was Anna again. The trust this little girl held in her was palpable, and that knowledge caused something inside Rin seemed to melt. Swallowing hard, Rin gave a small smile and placed a hand on the little girl's cool cheek.

"Want to sleep with me, tonight?"

Those crimson eyes widened a fraction, and she gave a short nod in agreement. Rin nudged her towards the stairs and began to follow her up, keeping her eyes trained on anywhere except Kusanagi.

She could practically feel him smiling from where he stood.

Back in the present time, Rin sat on the bench mulling over her yesterday's events and the decisions she faced. As she stared at the dusty neon sign for Seventh Heaven, she knew this was probably the best time for her to glean some information now that she wasn't under constant surveillance. HOMRA already had their hands full with this Colorless King business, and there probably wouldn't be a better time to make this move.

Before Rin could weigh her options anymore, however, her PDA buzzed and lit up with a bounty notice from HOMRA. It seemed Shouhei had had no problem hacking the system's mainframe again, and Rin could see the message lighting up other citizens' phones around her.

'WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE YOUNG MALE WHO SHOT OUR MEMBER ON THE ROOFTOP OF THE HIRASAK BUILDING ON THE NIGHT OF DECEMBER 27TH AROUND 23:45 P.M. - ANYONE WHO CAN PROVIDE INFORMATION LEADING TO THE SUSPECT'S CAPTURE WILL GET A REWARD OF TEN MILLION YEN."

Almost seconds after the notice disappeared from her screen it lit up once more with a message from Izumo of a map with a particular block of the city circled in red. She almost snapped her phone shut when a message at the bottom of the screen caught her eye.

'STAY AWAY FROM THE BLACK DOG.'

Closing her phone with a sigh, Rin pushed herself to her feet, dusting off any ashes that had fallen on her shirt in the process. She was certain that last message was aimed at Misaki, and smirked to herself at the thought of his outburst from the night before. He hadn't been clear this morning when he took off if he was still angry with her or not for laughing at him, but Rin had brushed off his bad attitude like she always did, chalking it up to someone criticizing HOMRA.

Sure enough, when she met up with him a few blocks away from the section on the map Kusanagi had sent, Misaki's teeth were bared and he looked ready to snap at anything. Apparently some punks had been slandering Mikoto, which was always a trigger for HOMRA's commander.

"Nobody badmouths Mikoto-san!" He growled as they made their way down the last street.

Rin replied breezily, "Once again, you get riled way too easily, Yata-san."

The redhead jerked his head to glance at her, pointing an accusatory finger. "Watch it, Tachibana-san. No one is allowed to say anything bad about Mikoto-san, and that includes you."

Holding up her hands defensively, Rin leaned away and grumbled quietly, "It wasn't him I was criticizing, you overprotective mutt."

Misaki looked as if he was ready to explode – and truthfully, Rin knew she had already been provoking a ticking time bomb – but something caught his eye farther up the street that caused his curses to lodge in his throat.

"Yata-"

But he was already off, throwing his skateboard underneath his feet and weaving in and out of the oncoming pedestrians. Rin huffed under her breath and took off after him, cursing herself for not knowing how to skateboard so that she could keep pace with him. It wasn't until she reached the intersection that she understood who it was who caught Misaki's attention.

The redhead was shouting at another teen close in age a couple yards away. Rin slowed to a halt as she stared at the young man; dark hair, black uniform with the white buttoned down shirt only slightly undone, flashing grey eyes. He was beautiful despite the stern, unyielding personality he was emitting. Yet it was the sabre secured at his hip that confirmed what she had already assumed.

"Yata-san." Rin kept her voice low as she took a step forward and slowly reached out for him, not wishing to provoke Misaki further. Yatogami Kuroh's eyes flicked to her, but his expression remained unreadable. "Remember was Kusanagi-san said-"

"OI! BLACK DOG!" Misaki barked, striding forward with his fist tightly gripping his bat. Rin blew out a breath and let her hand drop. She should have expected to be ignored. When Misaki had a chip on his shoulder, there really was no stopping him. Sparks licked his board and bat as he shot off towards the Black Dog, aiming a fiery swing at the dark haired teen's skull. "Where is he?"

Kuroh dodged him effortlessly, reappearing on top of a light post as if by magic, and suddenly Rin realized how fast this kid really was.

"What are you talking about, Red Clansman?" His voice was low and slightly arrogant, as if Misaki was nothing more than an annoying fly buzzing around his ear.

"I'm asking you where you're hiding that bastard! If you know what's good for you, you'll answer me!"

The Black Dog's expression never changed, but Rin could practically feel his irritation from where she stood.

"I don't have time for you. Move out of the way-"

"Hey! Yatogami-kun!"

A voice from the rooftop of the building next to them had all three of them spinning around and raising a hand to their foreheads to squint up into the noontime sun's glare. She could barely make out the halo of white hair shimmering brightly in the golden light, but her eyes narrowed at his next words.

"Looks like we can get out from up here! Get up here quick! I'm sure you can take that guy out in an instant. Just finish him off and come up here!"

It was him. A buzzing sound filled her ears as the rest of the world seemed to become muffled and muted, and all she could see was that silvery-white hair shining in the sunlight.

"Don't underestimate me!" Misaki's voice cut through her boiling rage. "Once I'm done with you I'll tie that idiot down." He was incensed, and for once Rin didn't blame him.

She sprinted down the sidewalk, keeping her breathing even as her feet pounded the pavement. While Misaki dealt with his power trip, she was going after that bastard who killed Totsuka.

"If you intend to fight me, don't expect any mercy," was the black-haired teen's only response.

She could hear Yata's cursing as she dashed towards the building's entrance, expecting to hear the familiar 'clang' of his bat. She skidded to a halt, however, at what sounded like a jackhammer drilling in a street, and turned around to see her clansman skating ahead of a cloud of debris. Whatever she had in her mind from Misaki's description about this vassal's power, it was nothing compared to what she saw now. It was as if some translucent hand had latched on to the street behind the redhead and was now ripping it up with a tremendous force.

Aura warping. That was the only way she could describe it. He seemed as if he was able to bend the forces around him to his will. How terrifying.

Despite Yata's confidence against his opponent, the wreckage seemed to be growing steadily closer to her clansman's skateboard wheels by the second and looked as if it were ready to swallow him whole.

Darting forward without thinking, Rin lashed out with a sharp kick at the Black Dog's head in hopes of distracting him long enough to keep him from injuring the redhead.

With her foot only inches away from smashes into his cheek, Rin suddenly felt her head snap back sharply by her hair. Her neck ached from the whiplash, but her attention was more focused on the semi-transparent hand that had her scalp locked in a painfully tight grip. For a split second she felt herself suspended at least two stories off the ground before she was sent flying end over end into a brick wall. Her left shoulder collided first, and a shock of pain traveled through her entire body, causing her eyes to prick with tears and her mouth to water. Dislodged and shattered bits of brick tumbled down over her hair and shoulders. Grunting, Rin rolled to the side, shaking the larger bits of rubble from her hair and biting down on her cheek as pain pulsed from her shoulder.

Damnit. She groaned internally. Gingerly she attempted to roll her shoulders back, and was relieved to find that it was merely bruised and not dislocated or broken. She didn't think she could afford a trip to a hospital.

An angry cry rose up in front of her, and Rin glanced up in time to see Misaki fly out from the plume of debris, swinging his bat down wildly at the Black Dog's face. Rin's mouth fell open when the stoic teenager leapt into the air and delivered a well-placed kick to the back of Misaki's neck, sending him flying face first into the pavement. Seconds before his chin would have collided Misaki's hand braced his fall, allowing him to land in a wide stance a few yards away ready for another round…

…until a billboard sign landed on top of him.

A small cry escaped Rin's lips, and she hobbled to her feet as fast as she could. Her ankle had twisted when she had collided with the stone wall, but she knew she could walk it off, at least until she got to bar HOMRA. Gingerly, she made her way into the street, trying to avoid putting too much weight on her injured foot. Rin let out a small sigh of relief when the billboard went flying, leaving an irritated, dirty, but mostly unharmed Misaki in its wake.

He took no notice of her at first, instead glaring up at the Yatogami Kuroh's disappearing form over the rooftop. They both know that their adversaries were long gone, and Rin was limping far too much to give chase.

The sound of approaching footsteps made Rin turn, and she welcomed the sight of Shouhei and Bandou.

"Yata-san! Tachibana-san!"

"Hey, you guys okay?"

Rin opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by a low voice to her left.

"Why did you interfere?"

Both Shouhei and Bandou fell silent, their concern dying on their lips as they warily watched their redheaded commander. Rin simply stared at him, baffled.

"Why did you butt in instead of going after that white haired bastard?! We could have had him, Tachibana-san! What the fuck were you thinking?"

She was positively stunned. Was he honestly saying this to her? Yelling at her? He, who had been so damn distracted by the Black dog - the same Black Dog whom they weren't even supposed to engage with in the first place - was reprimanding her for stepping in? Rin's face flushed with anger, having figured he'd at least appreciate her attempt at trying to help him.

"You have got to be fucking joking." Her voice came out cold and detached, and Rin swore she saw red tinting her vision. It took all her self-control to turn around on her good heel and storm off in the opposite direction. She would not lose her temper with their vanguard – she certainly didn't have the strength to win a fight against him anyway – and the last thing she wanted to do was say something she would regret. Biting her lip to keep from crying out at the pain, she strode off, wanting nothing more than to get away from that arrogant redheaded brat.

He shouted something in response at her turned back, and she called back a harsh, "Fuck you, Yata-san!" before turning the corner onto the next street. Her ankle was beginning to shake from her weight, and Rin leaned against a street lamp to rest for a moment as tears streamed down her face - a combination of pain and anger.

She found it strange that neither Bandou nor Shouhei had followed her, if only to check to see if she was all right. As hard as it was for her to admit it, it was one of those times she really could have used their support. Just this once.

But, like always, she shouldered those feelings and took a deep breath. If he didn't want her help? Fine.

She had other work to do.

Takumi worked hard to keep from looking positively delighted at seeing her back so soon. His eyes skimmed over how she gingerly cradled her left arm and avoided putting to much weight on one side of her body, the scratches that marred her cheek, the bits of brick still tangled in her long blonde hair, and the way her eyes wouldn't directly meet his when she spoke.

"Someone been tossing you around, sweetheart?"

Rin blew a strand of hair out from in front of her face and grumbled, "Yeah, something like that."

"Lil' spitfire," He grinned at her, placing a gently hand on her uninjured shoulder and leading her farther into the Seventh Heaven club towards the unmarked door. "I like that. Don't worry. We'll treat ya real good here."

Author's Note: Thank you for being so patient with me and for all the wonderful reviews! I had an absolute blast out in the sunshine in Key West for my spring break. (For those of you who don't live in a state – or country! - that has winter from November to April, I am jealous.) Anyway, I'm sure you all remember me telling you that I don't plan on rewriting the anime each chapter. From your reviews, I know many of you really like Rin, despite her being an OC character, so I hope you'll continue to love her as I focus on her story now that Mikoto is locked up at Scepter 4 headquarters! I just wanted to add that Rin is NOT going to be a stripper. The job was for a servers position, which is basically like a cocktail waitress. She is going to be wearing a costume that she is totally not comfortable with, but she will not be selling herself in anyway or stripping. Just serving drinks and taking orders. :) Figured I'd clear that up since I got some reviews about it! Thank you to each and every one of you who take the time to review, favorite, and follow this story or myself as an author. It just means the world to me, and really motivates me to write another chapter instead of prepping for this Russian midterm. As always, feel free to follow my projectkanimetumblr!

Reviewers without FF accounts (or accounts that have disabled PM-ing):

Miechan-ish: Yay! I really hope this new chapter excited you just as much as the last one! Thanks again for your review, m'dear!

Chingu: Awww thank you! I'm happy dancing in my chair right now! I'm really glad you like Rin. I know some people just cannot stand OC characters, so it makes me very happy to see she continues to get such a warm response! And that has to be the most common question I'm asked (right below "when will you be posting the next chapter?' hahaha). I have an idea for how I want to do the ending, and I don't really want to give anything about it away. All I can say is I don't think my readers will be disappointed with how I choose to end it. The funny thing is, I change so many things as I write this story. It kind of evolves as I write it, but I'm 99% certain about how I want to end it. Don't fret; I think you'll really like it.!

Swirlspill: Like I said for the reviewer above, I really think you guys will like what I do with the ending (or I hope you will! I always cross my fingers when I post). But I really appreciate your reviews. They give me confidence to keep moving forward and continue with the storyline I have in mind. It makes me so happy that you guys are interested not only in how I write about HOMRA but about Rin herself! Especially when you notice the little details that I try to subtlety slip in there, like her protectiveness of Anna, the similarities she and Yata now have, and the simplicity of Rin and Mikoto's relationship. I also like where your thoughts are headed. You seem to be thinking along the same lines as I am when it comes to Rin's acting abilities, although I'm sure you noticed in this chapter it was in a different scene than at the High School. XD I'm certain if any of her HOMRA clansmen saw her in such a place they wouldn't be too happy. As always, I LOVED the long review. I wish I could have PM-ed you a response but it said that your PMs had been disabled, so I hope you don't mind me rambling/posting it on here! Thank you thank you thank you!

Souta: ERMAHGAD. GAH, THANK YOU! ILYSM. Hahaha, seriously that's such a great compliment. And don't worry about the ending too much! I promise, I have an idea for an ending that I think will make both my readers and myself happy! I don't want to ruin it though, so I'll keep mum on the rest. Don't think too much on it yet! Thank you so much for your review! It made me smile!

Indescribablemusic: Yeah! I was really excited to start rewatching the anime again!

Blueeyes775: I AM SO EXCITED FOR WHEN IT COMES TOO! You are not alone. I actually have it written, and am just editing it to fit with what is going on in the story. And thank you thank you thank you for the long review! I also tried to PM you, but it said your private messaging was disabled too! I can't believe you stayed up so late to read it! I am so flattered! Like I've said to other viewers, I'm really happy most people are fond of Rin even though she is an OC. I don't want her to come off as a Mary Sue that is so completely out of the realms of the story and characters. I just want her to be somewhat relatable too (I mean emotionally; not her back-story! I don't wish that on anyone, and my condolences to anyone who reads this who has had to go through such a loss!) Your review just made my day when I was sitting in class and got a little notification! It made me smile, and I just hope that the next couple chapters will make you just as happy! And while I am leaning MikoRin for the love story for the most part, I do like the YataRin that is going on! It's funny because as I write this, my outline changes and evolves the more I think about it. Hopefully everyone continues to like where it's going! But THANK YOUUUUUUU. *tackle hug*