Yuko Araki hummed quietly to herself as she brought her pencil across the notepad on the table in front of her, squinting as she did her best not to smudge the graphite unnecessarily.

The scene she was currently sketching was nothing of importance, merely a way to keep her mind busy as she waited for her friend to arrive. It was fairly simple, a small willow tree overlooking a cliff, but she still wanted to at least make it look good. Practice didn't mean much if you didn't try after all.

She took a sip of her tea, savoring the bitter taste while wincing lightly at the heat. It was the middle of autumn in the Bay and as such, it was quite chilly outside. Perfect weather for cozying up in a cafe with a hot beverage by your side.

Just outside of the cafe, Yuko's enhanced hearing could just barely pick up the sounds of the waves crashing against the rocky shore of the bay or the indistinct chatter of the people who passed the cafe on the way to their destinations. It was somewhat relaxing, akin to white noise at this point in her life, helping her tune out any unwanted distractions.

*Ding*

'And speaking of distractions…' Yuko looked up as the door to the cafe opened, a bell sounding out throughout the building, and grinned lightly as she recognized the person walking in, silhouetted by the early evening light.

Said person, a blonde teenager around the age of Yuko herself, looked around the cafe, clearly searching for something. Yuko raised her hand in the air and the blonde locked into it immediately, smiling when she caught sight of the black-haired girl.

She made her way over, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulders as she walked, and stumbling slightly as she nearly bumped into someone on her way out.

Yuko gave her a small nod in greeting as she reached her, "Tammi, it's good to see you."

"Hey Yuko, sorry I'm late, dad was giving me the third degree." Tammi greeted back as she reached her, and Yuko gave her a sympathetic look.

"Does he still think you're going out to meet a boy?" She asked. Tammi groaned.

"I swear to god, one of these days I'm going to snap at him," she confessed, "Everytime I try to leave the house and he's around, he has to interrogate me about where I'm going. 'You better not be going out to see any boys Tammi!' 'Don't go talking to Jake again Tammi!' I'm sick of it!"

Yuko nodded at the blonde's words, more than aware at this point of how her father could be. Elias Herren was a strict man, far stricter than even her own to the point that he often came across as overbearing. She had lost count of the amount of times Tammi had ranted about the man's treatment of her.

"Whatever, fuck him anyway. I'm not a kid who needs to be constantly supervised." Tammi muttered, and Yuko winced at the language used. One of the first things she had learned about her friend was that she had quite the mouth on her. She had gotten used to it over the course of their admittedly short friendship, but it still surprised her from time to time.

"Anyway, I didn't keep you waiting too long did I?" She asked as Yuko made some space on the table for her.

Yuko shook her head, "No, I've only been here for fifteen minutes or so. Barely enough time to get my drink." She gestured toward the steaming styrofoam cup sitting on the table. There was no lid on it as Yuko wanted the drink to cool faster.

"Really dude? Are you drinking tea?" Tammi snorted as she caught sight of the liquid in Yuko's cup. She placed her school bag beside her chair as she took a seat across from her friend, "Could you get any more stereotypical?" She teased.

Yuko hummed, taking an especially slow sip of her drink. She made sure to make the action as noisy as possible, and was amused as her friend's face scrunched in annoyance.

After several long seconds, she returned the drink back to its place on the napkin, grinning at the sight of relief her friend gave, "I suppose I could start wearing ceremonial yukatas and only sit seiza style from now on. But I have a feeling that would get uncomfortable after a while so I think I'll pass."

Tammi waved off her words, "Oh please, like you could be uncomfortable. I've seen you sit in the same spot for over an hour as you draw in that notebook you've got. You always pick some of the most awkward positions too. I wouldn't be surprised if one day, I found you with your legs crossed behind your head like it was normal or something."

Yuko shrugged, "I'm very flexible." Sometimes anyway.

Tammi snorted, shaking her head, "Sure dude, whatever you say." She leaned down and pulled a laptop out of her bag, placing it on the table and powering it on, "Anyway, how have you been?"

Yuko smiled lightly as she and her friend settled into amicable conversation. She continued her sketches as she talked, while Tammi worked on something on her laptop. They paused briefly as the worker inside the cafe asked if they would like a drink, but other than that that talk continued uninterrupted.

Her mind went back to how the two of them had met in that very cafe some months ago. It had been an especially busy day, not a single table had been empty. Yuko has been enjoying a cup of tea and some pastries as she worked on an assignment from school. Tammi had walked up to her table and asked for a seat as all the other tables had been full, and Yuko been more than happy to share.

At the start, there had been some definite tension between them, the blonde barely said a word to her the entire time she was there, merely eating her food and beating a hasty retreat, not even bothering to say goodbye or thank you to her. Yuko hadn't even gotten her name.

Yuko had shrugged it off, it was rude, but not anything worth crying over. She went about her day, barely thinking about the odd teen.

The next day, something similar happened, the cafe was busy, the blonde asked to sit with her, and seemed determined to stay silent the entire time. Yuko however, decided not to let her. She spoke to the other teen, asking her inane things like her name or how her day was going, questions designed to get some conversation flowing. The blonde had answered her stiffly clearly not enthused by the questions, but Yuko had been able to get her name regardless. Tammi.

And now she had a goal, she would make friends with this girl, whether she wanted it or not.

Day after day, whenever Tammi sat down at her table, Yuko pried open her cold facade more and more, and slowly the tightness of her eyes disappeared, and smiles became more and more common. No longer was Tammi giving her the cold shoulder. Instead she was laughing uproariously at Yuko's dry humor and sharing jokes of her own in return.

After getting the other girl talking, Yuko found that she actually enjoyed Tammi's company. She was sharp-witted, funny, and very witty. And though Yuko could take or leave her crass language, she couldn't deny it fit perfectly with the blonde's personality.

Yes it seemed that after several years of living in Brockton Bay, she had finally acquired what she had desired for some time. A friend. And she found herself constantly looking forward to their little chats.

"-and so what if I was a little late turning in my project!? I still got it done!" Yuko tuned back in as Tammi finished up her story.

"-but noooo, he was all, 'Tammi if you don't try in school, you won't go anywhere in life.' Like fuck you dude! I don't want to hear that from some old man who barely makes minimum wage after going through who-knows how many years of college. He docked three whole points for that. On a midterm!" She huffed, crossing her arms angrily, "Jackass."

"Did you get in trouble with your father over it?" Yuko asked her as the worker (she really needed to figure out what to call them. Barista?) placed another steaming styrofoam cup on the table. Yuko gave him her thanks as she replaced her old one.

Tammi shook her head as the man placed her drink on the table as well, "Not my dad. My aunt though… Well she wasn't very happy. Looots of yelling." She sighed and Yuko winced.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She said and Tammi just shrugged.

"Eh, it's fine. She's been a lot more mellow now that I'm coming around more often." She took a sip of her drink, humming happily at the flavor.

"Oh, did you finally cave and join that book club she's been talking to you about?" Yuko asked.

Tammi's aunt had been brought up in conversation before, usually because Tammi was complaining about the woman pestering her to join a book club. Yuko was pretty sure that was a bit out of the blonde's ballpark, but figured that the woman just wanted to spend some time with her niece.

Either way, it was nice that Tammi had finally chosen to spend time with her voluntarily. One should always spend as much time with their loved ones as possible. One never knows when they won't have the chance anymore.

"Heh, yeah I did." Tammi nodded as she looked away, "Not like I really had much choice in the first place considering that other club…"

Yuko could just barely hear the other girl's muttered words and was confused by them. What did she mean she didn't have a choice? Other club?

'Maybe her dad forced her to join. He seems the type to want her to spend more time with her family.' Yuko shrugged, putting it out of her mind as she picked up her drink. If Tammi wanted her to know, she'd tell her. She wasn't going to pry.

"I really don't understand how you can drink that shit." Tammi piped up as Yuko took a very cautious sip of her fresh tea, "It tastes like cough syrup to me."

The Asian girl just gave her a small smile as warmth filled her mouth and throat, warming her entire body on the way down, "You just have no taste. How much sugar do you have in that 'coffee' of yours?" She made air quotes at the word coffee due to the fact that the drink inside of the cup Tammi was sipping from could barely be called that anymore.

The other teen just gave a shrug as she took a draw from her drink's straw, "Dunno. Enough to keep me awake I guess."

Their chat was interrupted as Yuko's phone buzzed on the table, indicating she had a message. She picked it up and powered it on, gazing at the message that appeared on the screen curiously, eyes widening slightly as she recognized the caller ID.

Father: Return.

That was it. That single word was the only thing she had been sent, and yet Yuko knew better than to even consider ignoring it.

She placed her phone in her pocket, standing as her friend looked at her curiously. "Sorry Tammi, I've got to go. If I'm not busy, would you like to hang out tomorrow as well? We can go to that store in the mall that sells all the weird goth stuff that you like so much." She asked as she slid her sketchbook into her bag.

Tammi was more than used to her friend's sudden exits by now, and as such was not put off at all, "Yeah, sure thing. I'll text you later tonight. Wouldn't want you getting too bored without your best friend." she grinned as she began gathering her own things.

Yuko rolled her eyes good naturedly as she retrieved her wallet, counting out several bills and placing them on the table. A tip for letting them loiter in the cafe for as long as they did, "We've only known each other for three or so months. If even that."

"And yet, you didn't deny it." Tammi smirked, "You know you like hanging out with me. I'm your best friend and you know it."

Yuko let out a huff of amusement as she slid her sketchbook into her bag, "Yes, whatever would I do without your crass mouth? Why, imagine a world where I am forced to spend time in more polite company, with people who don't insult my tastes in drinks every chance they get." She shuddered theatrically, "How horrible. I dread the very thought of it."

"Yeah yeah, get out of here grandma. And take your tea with you." Tammi waved her off as she zipped up her bag.

Yuko gave her a small smile, "I'll see you tomorrow then." She wrapped her bag around her shoulders, clipping it in the middle.

Tammi nodded at her, "Yup, see you Yuko." And Yuko gave her and the worker a wave as she stepped out into the lamp-lit streets of Brockton Bay.

As she began her trek back home, Yuko couldn't help but wonder what her father had called back for.

The Araki household was a large, two-story building with a rather large addition built in the rear. Japanese iconography littered the yard, small statues of various yokai and other creatures lined the way up to the door, where two large knockers were situated.

Considering she lived there, Yuko decided to forgo the knockers and simply opened the door, "I'm home!" She called out to anyone inside.

The foyer was completely empty, but she could hear the sounds of footsteps further into the house. She slipped her shoes off at the door as she was taught, before walking further into the house.

A tallish man in a sharp white button up greeted her as she entered the house proper, "Welcome home Hime." He bowed to her, "Your father is waiting for you in his office."

Yuko nodded, "Thank you Takada, I'll go up to him right away."

As the man walked away, Yuko began making her way up the stairs. In moments, she was standing in front of the door to her father's office

She knocked on the door once and upon the answering grunt, opened it and walked inside. The office was dimly lit. Candles burned quietly atop the desk near the back, casting a warm glow into the darkness. A silver dragon mask gleamed in the dim light, casting menacing shadows upon the walls.

Sitting at the desk was her father, hunched over as he stared at a paper with furrowed brows . Dragon tattoos, similar to the one on her own back, covered a good portion of his exposed skin including his muscles arms. He looked up as she entered, hard gaze softening ever-so slightly as he recognized her.

"Yuko." The Dragon of Kyushu greeted her as she closed the door quietly behind her, "You received my message."

Yuko gave him a bow, showing deference to him as he had taught her, "Yes father. I apologize for taking so long, I returned as quickly as I could." She spoke quietly.

He gave her a soft grunt, one reserved especially for her, as she rose from her bow, "Welcome home."

"Thank you father." Yuko smiled at his welcoming, "Though I must admit, I am curious why you have asked me to return. It was my belief that you wished for me to remain away from the house for the day."

What she did not say was that she knew the reason he wanted her out was due to the fact that he was meeting with his subordinates, specifically the ones that handled the majority of the ABB's day-to-day affairs. He had always refused to let her sit in on the meetings, which had hurt at first but she now understood that he wished to keep the fact that he had a daughter hidden for as long as possible.

However loyal those men claimed to be, both she and her father knew that most didn't get there through their undying loyalty to the gang. Backstabbing and blackmail was all too common to men like them, and the moment Yuko's existence was revealed, their enemies would find out about it. One way or another. Her father had decided to keep her existence close to his chest, and to her knowledge only Lee knew who she was. A rare show of sentimentality from the normally heartless man.

So that begged the question, why had he asked her to return so soon? To her knowledge the meeting hadn't passed yet. Why had he called her back?

"As you know, I am meeting with my subordinates," Her father rumbled, and she nodded, "There have been murmurs that some of those under me are displeased with my rule."

Yuko did know that. She very carefully did not say that there was likely good reason for the displeasure. Though her father may love her and she, him, she also knew he was not a good man in any sense of the term. The way he treated those under him left much to be desired, and though Yuko herself had never been subject to his displeasure, she had certainly heard the screams of those who had.

She did not say any of this, instead simply making an easy conclusion from what he had told her, "You suspect there's a traitor."

"No, I do not suspect." Her father rumbled angrily, "I know." He picked up the paper he had been looking at when she walked in, holding it out for her to take.

She took it delicately, studying it intently. It was clearly handwritten, and Yuko recognized the hasty scrawl as Lee's.

It was a list of observations, each time-stamped within hours of each other.

10:33 - Kaito Nanaki exits his home.

10:50 - Kaito enters a bar named 'Patt's Pub' in Empire territory.

11:02 - Kaito exited with a Caucasian male with a shaved head. No overt Nazi paraphernalia is on display.

11:57 - Kaito and the unnamed man enter a warehouse. Over the course of an hour, several other people enter the warehouse.

12:23: Victor of the Empire 88 enters the warehouse.

2:07 - Kaito exits the warehouse and makes his way home

Kaito does not leave his home for the rest of the night.

Yuko furrowed her brow as she placed the paper back on the desk. She knew the name Kaito Nanaki, he was one of the more trusted of her father's subordinates, handling a good portion of things dealing with the gang at large.

Weapons suppliers, hidden caches, recruitment tactics, brothel locations. He knew it all.

If Kaito was a traitor, then the Empire had insight into each and every one of their internal operations. There was no telling how much damage could be done.

Yuko looked to her father as she realized the direness of the situation, "What are you going to do? Are you going to send Lee to make an example out of him?" Was she in for another sleepless night filled with screams?

Her father didn't answer for a long moment, merely gazing at her seriously. She met his eyes, keeping eye contact despite the strong urge to avert her gaze.

Apparently she passed some sort of unspoken test, as after only a few moments her father nodded in satisfaction, "You will join me at the meeting." He said, and Yuko's eyes widened.

"You're going to have me sit in?" She asked, surprised and somewhat horrified at his decision.

Lung nodded, "It is well past time to introduce you to my enemies. You are my heir, and as such you will strike fear into those who would strike against us, just the same as I have."

He picked up his mask from its place on his desk, putting it on his face. The silver accessory shone brightly as the candles around the room flared with his anger, rising and falling with his every breath.

"If those under me would attempt to betray all that I have built here, then I will destroy them. And so will you." He spoke firmly, reaching down into his desk and placing the item he retrieved onto its surface.

"Your previous mask was amateur at best. That will not do for this meeting. You will wear this instead." He said as she picked up the item he placed on the desk.

It was a half-mask, a beautifully crafted one at that. It's appearance was that of a Kitsune, the upper muzzle and ears of one at least, composed of mostly red and black with silver accents, and clearly made to fit Yuko specifically. It also fit with her costume's colors perfectly.

While Yuko hadn't had a chance to truly go out and participate in the cape scene, her father had made sure she would be properly equipped in case trouble ever came to their doorstep. This included making her a costume that would allow fight without restrictions, although given the nature of her power, it was kind of a moot point.

Still, even though she technically had a costume, Lung had refrained from giving her a mask, forcing her to instead make one herself. It was his way of telling her that she was not ready to join him in ruling the ABB, to stand by his side as Lee did.

This mask was his way of telling her she was ready. She was both excited, and terrified at the prospect. Still, she knew better than to let either show on her face.

Yuko instead bowed deeply, expressing her gratitude towards her father, "Thank you father. I promise, I will not disappoint you."

He grunted as he stepped around the desk, making his way to the door, "See that you don't. Get prepared and join me in the war room. Don't be late." And then he left, heavy footsteps echoing throughout the hall.

Yuko stared at the mask in her hands, turning it this way and that as she came to terms with exactly what it meant. The moment she put it on, everything would change, she would be expected to take an active role in the gang, become one of her father's enforcers or even take on a role above that.

Her biggest concerns would no longer be schoolwork or possible commissions for her artistry, instead she would be worrying about whether or not she would be forced to fight one of the numerous dangerous parahumans who called the ABB their enemy. Would have to worry about if she would see her friend again or end up as another statistic on the forums, dead from a stray shot from a gangbanger or another cape's lower.

Or even her father's anger. Things would change between them, she would be his subordinates as well as his daughter. And she did not know if that fact would save her from his wrath should she screw something up. She loved her father, and she would like to believe he would never do that to her, but she did not know. And she would be lying if she said that didn't scare her.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

And yet It was much too late to back down now, she had lost any choice in the matter the day that she triggered. It had only been a matter of time from that point on. And it seemed that time had arrived.

She took a deep breath to steady herself, and placed the mask on her face, one hand slipping up to pull the strap behind her head and under her hair.

And as the mask slipped comfortably onto her features, sliding into place as if it had been there all along, Yuko ceased to be.

And only Yosei, Daughter of the Dragon, remained.