Chapter 16 – Severed Threads of Fate

Keitaro stepped off the trolley onto the empty sidewalk, taking a moment to breathe in the crisp morning air. The scent of the grass and trees helped put his mind at ease, which is exactly what he needed considering his rather abrupt departure from Lawliet's flat. As he crossed the street and paused before the staircase that led up to Hinata-sou, the young avenger thought back to the unexpected outburst of the normally laid-back hacker.

'I never thought he could even get so riled up…and over Seta coincidentally enough? What could that have been about?'

The landlord huffed as he tried to make sense of this new development, the last few minutes at Lawliet's home passing through his mind.

"Sorry boya…I think we might have to do this another time…"

Kimiko's apology brought the younger man back from the minor shock-induced trance he'd been in. Lawliet had left the small office abruptly about ten minutes ago, barricading himself in his bedroom next door. The sound of something hard hitting the wall had spooked the red-headed assassin out of her stupor, thus prompting her to run damage control.

"Oh…sure. No problem…I guess," Keitaro replied somewhat awkwardly as he shifted his bokken back into place on his hip, "We can pick this back up tomorrow."

Kimiko nodded before moving over to let Keitaro leave. The last thing the young landlord saw before passing through the living room was a worried assassin knocking on the locked door to her lover's room.

"I hope she can help him with…whatever this ends up being," Keitaro said aloud to himself before he turned towards Haruka's tea house. The cozy looking building seemed asleep despite it being almost noon, something that was a bit abnormal considering it was a weekend. His curiosity piqued, the landlord approached the door and reached out with his senses.

'Hmm…I can feel her ki signature upstairs…but what's she still doing there? Normally Haru would've opened the cafe and started brewing a few pots of the good stuff by now,' he pondered. A fresh breeze suddenly brushed over him, bringing with it an unfamiliar scent. Taking a few sniffs, Keitaro glanced up at the second-floor window, 'Is that…incense?'

His attention now completely grabbed, the landlord walked around to the staircase that went to Haruka's apartment, taking each step carefully to stay as silent as possible. He reached the door and knocked, "Haru? You there?"

After a few moments without a response, Keitaro sighed before taking a chance and letting himself inside. As he removed his sandals, he quickly appraised the place: a simple apartment with a modest sized living room and a hallway that led to the bathroom, Haruka's master bedroom, and a small office that doubled as a guest room. A glass door on one end of the living room led to a modest-sized balcony where he could recall sitting with the aloof café owner sometimes to watch the stars or just talk. Seeing that she wasn't outside, Keitaro took another whiff of the air and followed the unknown fragrance to the master bedroom.

"Haru?" he called out again before noticing the door was slightly ajar. Nudging it open further he peered into the room and spotted her kneeling in front of a small cabinet, hands clasped, and head bowed as she silently prayed. Feeling a change in the air, Haruka looked up and noticed a confused looking Keitaro staring from the doorway, "Oh…wasn't expecting to see you until later Kei. What's up?"

"I was just meeting up with a friend about tutoring, though I got kicked out when something came up for him," Keitaro replied before bowing his head slightly, "I'm sorry for interrupting you. I noticed a strange smell coming from here and when I saw that the café wasn't open I became curious."

Haruka waved him off, "Don't worry about it. Today's a bit of a special day, hence the lavender incense," she gestured toward the makeshift shrine against the wall. Keitaro walked up and knelt beside the older woman, removing his bokken and placing it off to the side. The landlord took a moment to examine the contents of the cabinet: a single portrait of a young man with short brown hair and dark blue eyes. Two incense sticks were lit on each side of the photo, providing Keitaro with the source of the pleasant fragrance he'd smelled earlier.

"…my condolences for your loss. I had no idea," the landlord said quietly as he gave a respectful bow to the stranger in the picture, "was he…a friend?"

Haruka chuckled bitterly, "No…he was more than that."

Keitaro suddenly felt as though something sharp had pierced his chest as he noticed Haruka's mood shift from her usual calm manner to something more akin to mourning. The older woman sighed before her sad eyes met the dark sapphire ones that looked back at her with an innocent smile.

"That guy…was the first man I ever loved."

"Well…the good news is you didn't break anything," Kimiko commented as she continued to wrap soft bandages around Lawliet's bruised hand. She had waited nearly an hour before her impatience got the better of her, kicking open the locked door to her lover's bedroom. Inside, the hacker was sitting against the wall, arms limp at his sides on the ground. He had been staring up at the ceiling with the most dead-looking gaze she had ever seen on him. Quickly making her way over, the lovely assassin noticed one of his hands bore some ugly bruising on the knuckles. It didn't take long to spot the rather large hole in the wall, and from there Kimiko went back to the kitchen to retrieve the first aid kit.

"…sorry about that, Kimi-chan," Lawliet replied, though his voice sounded rather apathetic…or more so than usual anyway. Shaking her head, Kimiko finished wrapping the wounded hand and held it softly, "Don't worry about it. We were a little shocked though. I take it you have some history with this Seta guy?"

Lawliet grimaced, "Yeah…something like that. Actually, he's more like a malevolent spirit that won't stop haunting me."

The bitterness with which he spoke Seta's name caused Kimiko to raise her brow in surprise. Normally, Lawliet would only speak of one other person with such outright disgust in his tone: the Tachibana who he had personally sworn to take revenge on. Considering the other ghosts of his past that she knew of it was a bit startling to hear him describe this new person the way he did.

'He's always so tight-lipped about his past before the incident. Maybe…this might finally be my chance to get some more answers about him…'

"Malevolent spirit, huh? That's pretty harsh," she commented airily while gently massaging his knuckles through the bandages, "What did he do, steal your girlfriend or something?"

Kimiko barely caught Lawliet wince, but she was quick to deduce that it hadn't been from rubbing his bruised knuckles too hard, "…sorry…that was supposed to be a joke."

"I know. You just happened to hit the nail on the head by accident," the hacker replied before slowly getting to his feet and walking over to a beaten-looking lazy-boy chair in the corner of the room. Dropping himself onto the worn cushions, he glanced at the guilty-looking redhead and motioned for her to join him. Kimiko made her way over and gently sat on his lap, back against his chest and leaning her head on his shoulder. The assassin remained quiet, hoping against hope that she hadn't blown her chance to get a peek into what made the man known as Lawliet Nara tick. Moments later, her silence was rewarded.

"If it hadn't been for him…if it hadn't been for Seta Noriyasu, we wouldn't be here right now," he moved his good hand over Kimiko's bare stomach and began making small circles on her skin with his fingers, "I'd probably be married with a few brats running around, though I doubt that woman would've settled for living like a typical, mushy housewife. She never did agree with Hina-baba's vision about how she should live her life."

Kimiko's eyes had been closing as she lost herself to the feeling of her lover's hand caressing her midsection, but they quickly shot open as she pinpointed the name he mentioned, "Hina…as in Urashima Hina?"

"The one and only."

The red-haired assassin had to bite down the string of curses that threatened to spew from her lips, "Which means the woman you're talking about…"

"…her name was Haruka. Urashima Haruka."

Fighting the lance of pain that shot through his heart at just the mention of his past love's name, Lawliet began, "We met in high school, when she was a senior and I was a first year. That was back when I was your typical bookworm…the type that would turn into a stuttering mess if a cute girl so much as looked my way."

"Somehow, I can see that perfectly in my mind," Kimiko teased as she wiggled in her lover's lap.

"Whatever…anyway, I don't remember exactly what it was that drew us together. Something about needing help with a report or something?" Lawliet's forehead scrunched up as he tried to recall his first rendezvous with Haruka, eventually giving up when the memory refused to surface, "in any case, we hit it off pretty well surprisingly enough. It shocked the hell out of her friends."

The lovely assassin shot a questioning look at the hacker, "Why would that be? Aside from the age difference I don't see the problem."

Lawliet chuckled, "You didn't go to traditional high school, so I can't fault you for not getting it. Aside from the age gap and the hierarchal difference, we were at different rungs on the social ladder too. I was the gaijin nerd, and she was the queen bee of the school. Most popular, most intelligent, wealthiest, all that fun stuff that kids take way too seriously in school."

Kimiko hummed in understanding, "I see…that would make sense, I guess. Around that time, she would have still been the direct heir to the Urashima clan. Knowing that wily old bat, she wouldn't have tolerated an incompetent being next in line to lead one of the most powerful families in the country."

"Exactly. Hence the rumors and the judgement from those other kids when she and I hooked up. Around that time, Hina was trying to set Haruka up with more credible suitors," Kimiko winced a bit at the venom in Lawliet's voice as he described his competition, "but Haruka refused to let anyone, even her grandmother, dictate who she could love in her life."

Sinking more into the chair, Lawliet smiled a bit as the happier memories began to resurface, "We had a lot of fun together. She really helped me come out of my shell with all the shenanigans we got into…the partying, the drinking, the traveling when I could scrounge up the cash. There were a lot of firsts I had with her," he paused momentarily as a particularly stifling memory arose, "…a LOT of firsts…"

Kimiko noticed her lover's expression and quickly put two and two together with a bark of laughter, "You mean to tell me your first time was with boya's aunt?! That is priceless!"

The hacker's tiny smile grew into a goofy smirk, "Yea…she was pretty excited to break in a cherry boy like me, despite being a virgin herself. I learned a lot that weekend."

Taking a minute to get her breathing back to normal, the red-haired assassin raised her hand to stroke Lawliet's cheek, "Well that explains why you're so good with those hands despite being a shut-in…and here I thought you just practiced on blow-up dolls and the odd escort here and there…"

Letting out an indignant huff at his lover's rather poor assumption of him, Lawliet pinched her on the stomach before going back to his tale, "Can I keep going now? Anyway, the best part was hiding how far we'd gone from the old bat. She never approved of me for a second since I was the son of an American soldier. Hina's always been wary of them since the war and that suspicion passed down to the immediate generation of Urashima…but thankfully no further than that them."

"So what happened then?" Kimiko asked, taking a chance to get to the heart of things. She knew that Lawliet would continue to reminisce for hours if he wasn't prodded to get to the crux of the matter, and as much as she was enjoying his story her inquisitiveness refused to be denied any longer, "From the sound of it things were really good between you two, despite the attempted cockblocking of a xenophobic old woman."

Lawliet wilted in the chair, his bruised fist clenching before relaxing when Kimiko gripped it with her unoccupied hand, "We were happy for three years. I was on cloud nine almost every day, being the loner kid that had the hottest girl in school as his girl, even after she started college. That all changed the day she met Seta though…"

He smiled bitterly while his blue eyes darkened with several different emotions, most of which Kimiko could decipher but it was still a jumble, "When we first met him, I thought he was just a weird bastard. Obsessed with researching the lost turtle civilizations and absolute garbage when it came to driving. I still can't believe he got away with half the shit he did on the roads…but he was still a good guy…a good friend."

"But something changed…didn't it?"

Lawliet looked down into Kimiko's emerald gaze and nodded, steeling himself as he willed the rest of those memories to come forward.

"…everything changed," he began haltingly as the negative emotions he fought to suppress surged through his heart. Kimiko could literally feel his very ki change as he recalled the downfall of his relationship, "as we started our fourth year together, Haruka began drifting apart. She spent more and more time with Seta…at the time I couldn't really blame her. The guy just had that kind of personality. It made it hard to hate him, even after Haruka started missing dates we set up or training sessions to teach me the Urashima family arts in order to see him…"

Seeing the turmoil building up in her beloved, Kimiko pressed a hand to his chest in comfort, "You don't have to say anymore…I think I have a pretty good idea where this is going."

Lawliet shot her a grateful smile, "You always could read me like a book, Kimi-chan. But it's ok…not like there's much left to the story. Suffice to say one day she just told me straight that it was over…that she no longer loved me as I loved her…and that was that."

"…she really just dumped you like that? After everything you'd been through together?"

"Talk about a giant slap in the face. Never in the three years we were together did I see things ending that way, even with all of Hina's interference."

Kimiko curled up more in Lawliet's lap, her legs dangling from the cushioned armrests of the large chair while the rest of her body was turned inwards towards him. Seeing the anguished and defeated look that crossed over the broken man's face hurt the assassin more than she thought was possible.

A very strong part of her wanted to go straight over to the tea shop and slit that bitch's throat for causing her lover so much pain. Only by remembering who that woman was related to and the unholy wrath she would spur into action if she harmed a single follicle on Haruka's head did she stay her rage and put it on the backburner.

Besides…there were other, less suicidal ways to vent her anger available to her.

Lawliet chuckled humorlessly as he felt his lover calm down, "Funnily enough, we tried to still be friends after…and that asshat Seta kept doing his best to cheer me up. Yet in his obliviousness, he never realized he was the reason I was so pissed all the time."

Kimiko could only wonder how he dealt with the insufferable archaeologist for so long. Knowing what she did about him, the assassin could picture very clearly in her head the buffoon's attempts to 'cheer up' his infuriated buddy.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say you didn't stick around much after a while?"

"No…I didn't. And it wasn't long after that when I met…her," Kimiko didn't miss the rancor that permeated Lawliet's voice that time. She knew exactly who he was talking about at that moment, "…and you know the rest of the story from there."

'Oh yea…no reminder necessary for that one,' the assassin's eyes narrowed as the image of another woman popped into her head…an image she quickly crushed and slashed apart in her mind with extreme prejudice.

The two languished a bit longer in each other's presence, one doing their best to comfort the other who now felt the full brunt of reopening the old wounds in his heart. After a few moments of caressing his chest, Kimiko kissed Lawliet on the cheek and laid her head on his shoulder, "…so what will you do now?"

"Honestly…I have no clue," the hacker shrugged, his mind still a whirl with the implications of what could happen with the emergence of this new obstacle, "I knew there was a chance the kid was close to Hina when I decided to help him…and that he could be close to Haruka as well by proxy. I just didn't predict Seta coming along into the mix as well with how off the grid he normally is."

Once again, the goofy archaeologist was getting in the way of what he wanted most, but this time, Lawliet didn't plan on accepting defeat as he did before, 'Sorry Seta, but I don't plan on having you take my chance at revenge away from me like you took Haru…'

While the hacker was caught up in his own thoughts, the gears within Kimiko's head were beginning to turn as well, 'It's obvious Law-kun needs some closure with this…maybe there's a way we can kill two birds with one stone here…'

Keitaro and Haruka sat in silence, one mulling over the story he had heard while the other quietly reminisced on the past. Taking a moment to examine the portrait again, the landlord looked closer at the young man in the image. Focusing on his face, Keitaro soon began to notice traits that seemed very familiar, 'Wait a minute…the hair is different and he doesn't have any facial scars…but those eyes…I know those eyes…'

"Haru…if you don't mind my asking, how did he…" Keitaro hesitated for but a moment before his intrigue won out over his sense of courtesy, "how did he meet his end?"

"There was a fire at his family home…a little over five years ago," Haruka admirably attempted to hide the tremble in her voice, though Keitaro only needed to see her eyes to know just how much pain she was in, "I'd lost touch with him a while before that…not surprising considering everything that happened between us. To this day, no one knows what really happened despite the investigators claiming it was a faulty gas line."

The landlord narrowed his eyes at the alleged reason behind the young man's death, "I see. I'm sorry for prying…and for your loss Haruka."

"Don't sweat it kid…the past is the past and our only obligation to the dead is to keep living and moving forward," missing Keitaro wince slightly at her words, Haruka clapped her hands once more as she sent a final prayer up to the heavens before closing the cabinet, the incense having burned out near the end of her tale.

Keitaro got to his feet and stretched before offering a hand to his 'aunt', who accepted with a grateful smile and allowed him to pull her up. Before he could let go however, Haruka pulled the younger man into a hug that caught him off guard, "H-Haru?"

"Thanks Kei…for hearing me out and saying a prayer for him. I think he would've liked you if he could've met you," she whispered. Keitaro returned the embrace, feeling conflicted yet grateful for the gesture.

The rare, tender moment between the two was then suddenly interrupted by a knock at Haruka's front door, "Good Morning! Anyone there?"

Haruka fought the urge to scream into Keitaro's chest and left their embrace, "Dammit, what the hell does he want now?"

The landlord shrugged before gesturing to the door, chuckling when he heard the tea shop owner sigh in resignation. Haruka gathered herself up as best she could before walking to the main room and opening the entryway to reveal a smiling Seta, "Can I help you, Seta?"

"Hey Haruka! How's it going?" the chipper archaeologist practically beamed at the sight of his former lover before his eyes found Keitaro standing off to the side, "Hah! Just the guy I was looking for!"

"You were looking for me? What for?" the landlord's hackles rose as he had no clue what Seta could want with him then and there. He hadn't planned on seeing the man for at least another day or two.

"The job orientation, what else? You're supposed to be my new part-timer remember?" the bespectacled man grinned at the somewhat bewildered Keitaro, "I finally finished settling everything at the office so now's the perfect time to show you around and fill you in on the stuff you'll be helping me with!"

Keitaro sighed, "Right…orientation. Forgot about that. I suppose we can get this over with, plus this gives me the chance to talk to the admissions board about postponing my attendance."

"Yea…wait, you got in?! And you're not attending?!" Seta stared bug-eyed at the younger Urashima, "When did this happen?!"

"A couple months ago…which you would've known if you bothered keeping in touch like normal. Haru could've told you easily," Keitaro deadpanned, "or barring her, Hina-obaasama."

The archaeologist rubbed the back of his head nervously, "O-Oh, is that right? Guess I must've missed those messages when I was on site at my last dig…"

"Why am I not surprised," Haruka shook her head in annoyance before fixing the tall archaeologist with an accusing stare, "and speaking of things you missed, did you remember what today was?"

Seta's face scrunched up in thought, "Hmm…it's not someone's birthday is it? I know yours is around the corner-"

"My birthday was last week."

"Ah! Right, I knew that," the older man tried to play off his faux pas, but the attempt only seemed to upset Haruka further. The annoyed expression on her face morphed into a mix of disgust and disappointment, "I can't believe it…this is…this is low even for you!"

Seta was unprepared for the emotional outbreak from Haruka, taking a step back from the unusually distressed woman in shock, "H-Haruka…what's wrong? What am I forgetting?"

"I don't know why I'm so surprised," she growled at him, unable to reign her feelings in any longer, "you ditched the funeral, when even Sarah's mother came across the ocean after hearing what happened!"

Trying to look anywhere else but the enraged woman's eyes, Seta spotted a calendar on the wall with the date for that day circled. It was then he also noticed the faint scent of lavender that was still present in the air. The realization soon hit him like a freight train, and it took every fiber of his being not to fall to his knees when his stomach nearly rebelled against him, "Oh…oh no…today was-"

Haruka sneered, "So you do remember…took you long enough," with that she turned back to Keitaro and gently squeezed his shoulder, "I'll see you later kiddo. Try not to let this dumbass' strain of stupid rub off on you too much."

Keitaro nodded at her, putting his own hand over hers and squeezing back. With one last smile, the tea shop owner pushed past Seta without so much as a second glance and headed to the café to open up. Keitaro watched her go before turning back to face the distraught Seta, 'Well that reaction confirms it…that's Lawliet in the photo all right…'

"I'll be waiting outside for you to get yourself together," the landlord said with the same level of frost in his voice as his aunt, "don't take too long."

"…sure kid…I'll…I'll be out in a minute."

Back at Minato's residence, the sound of ruffling papers hid a frustrated groan as Ruumari sifted through another set of documents, the desk in his borrowed office covered with residence records, surveillance photos, and generalized profiles. All the people listed on them appeared to be high school students and teachers from Narusegawa Naru's former school.

The rugged-looking investigator never thought there'd be so many considering how small Hinata was.

'Well one thing's for sure, this girl was pretty popular at Hinata High,' he chuckled humorlessly to himself as he sifted through the profile of yet another unassuming student. Before he could be overcome by another wave of boredom, a pleasant odor suddenly wafted across his nose. He only needed one long sniff to figure out its source, "Hmm…jasmine and lemon…you used to spoil me with that when we were kids."

"I figured you could use a little pick me up while doing all this work Ruumari-sama," the giggling voice of Yuko sounded from behind him. Turning to face her, Ruumari noticed the delightful smile on her face as she held a tray with a small pot and two clay mugs. Placing the drinks down on a clear spot on the desk, the sub-branch servant brushed back a stray bang of her black hair and glanced over at the many stray papers littering the surface, "Wow…you've really been burning the midnight candle haven't you, Ruumari-sama?"

"What the hell have I…you know what, I don't know why I even bother anymore," the red-haired man sighed, earning another set of giggles from his cousin, "but you're right. I must've checked out at least half the student body by now, but there's over three-hundred kids at that school, along with almost two-hundred staff members. Most of them have either befriended or had some kind of positive interaction with the Narusegawa girl, but based on the psychological profiles here, none of them really seems the type to go out of their way to defend someone being assaulted."

"Is that so?" Yuko gestured over to a particular stack of papers, "Is there any way I can assist you Ruumari-kun?"

Ruumari chuckled, "Now was that so hard?" his answer was Yuko blowing a raspberry at him, "And no, but thanks for offering. Just bringing the tea is a huge help Yuko-chan."

"Oh, I knew I smelled something good in here," Yuko and Ruumari turned to the door where a grinning Akisora had just arrived. The servant girl tried to bow but a gentle hand on her shoulder stopped her, "Hey, no one else is here Yuko-nee. Minato-jiji and Ichi-kun are over at Akasuisei getting things ready for their big meeting, so no standing on ceremony required here."

Yuko shook her head with a small smile, "You really are too good to me, Aki-sama. What if I start developing bad habits because of you two?"

"Please, you've served my father long enough to know how to flip that mental switch of yours at will. The day you slip with that is the day the sky falls," Ruumari joked before pulling out two chairs next to him from his seat. The youngest Tachibana fixed his Imperial Guardian robe before taking the open seat on one side of Ruumari, while Yuko hesitantly sat on the other. Akisora picked up a random profile and glanced through the information quickly, "So, still no suspects?"

"It's been rough going," Ruumari confessed, gesturing to a small pile of documents that had built up in front of him, "out of the ones I've checked out so far maybe five people seem to have a strong connection to Narusegawa, and even they're pretty flimsy."

The Tokyo-U student sifted through a few more pages, amber-gold eyes taking in every detail, "What points of commonality would make someone a person of interest?"

"Club members, roommates, old flames, anything that lends credit to a connection past a simple acquaintance," Ruumari clarified. On his other side, Yuko picked up a document with Naru's portrait and hummed to herself, "Ruumari-kun, you may want to redefine your search a bit. According to this, Narusegawa Naru did not take part in any clubs in her three years at Hinata High, nor was she observed to have any relationships beyond platonic ones with any of her male peers."

Ruumari facepalmed loudly, "Dammit."

"…it does say she had a roommate that attended with her that graduated early…Konno Mitsune?"

"I've seen her file already," the older man shook his head, "bit of a prankster, freelance investigative journalist, but surveillance around the area showed no sign of her anywhere."

Yuko frowned, "I'm starting to see why this has frustrated you so much," she went back to reading and quickly picked up an interesting detail, "Hold on…there is one other person who she had been noticed spending quite a bit of time with…Urashima Keitaro."

'An Urashima? Damn…well that complicates things' Ruumari swore in his thoughts.

"Why does that name sound so familiar?" Akisora's brows scrunched up as he racked his brain, the name striking a chord before a fleeting memory came to him, "Oh! I think I met that guy when I went to check out the list of accepted students to Tokyo-U!"

"Let me find his file," Ruumari sifted through another pile of papers for a moment before picking out a folder with the landlord's stern face looking at him from a photo clipped to the front, "Is this the guy, Aki?"

"Yep, that's him!" Akisora nodded after barely a glance, "I don't forget faces that easy. He's the one that tied with me for the highest score on the entrance exams! But I didn't see him at the accepted students' orientation the other day…"

Ruumari narrowed his eyes as he read more, "…according to the file we have on hand, he's the only grandson of Urashima Hina, and he recently inherited her converted dorm Hinata-sou. If we're not careful, this could get ugly."

Yuko looked over with a confused expression, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know if you remember Yuko-chan, but the Mononobe clan was really close with the Urashima," Ruumari began, rubbing his forehead to try and alleviate an oncoming headache, "to say that they detest our clan would be putting it lightly."

"Not to mention, Hinata-sou is the Urashima clan's seat of power in Hinata," Akisora picked up as he took a look at Keitaro's dossier in his older cousin's hands, "if he's in charge of it, that means Urashima-san is pretty high up on the food chain. He could even be the heir."

The three of them fell silent as the implications hit them. Attempting to question the heir to any prominent family in Japan was a tall order enough as it is. The Urashima, however, had been advisors to the Imperial Court for centuries. It was no secret that the infamous Urashima Hina controlled the town of Hinata. She was the sole reason it had prospered so much over the past few decades.

Now they were considering talking to her grandson and heir as a person of interest in the murder investigation of Tachibana Ranmaru.

"…I don't think it would be too bad…going to talk to him," Akisora suddenly piqued up. Seeing the disbelieving looks on Ruumari and Yuko's faces, he laughed, "I told Urashima-san who I was flat out, and he was still pretty cool about it. I don't think he'd slam the door in our faces at least."

Ruumari eyed his younger cousin for a moment before sighing and shaking his head, "Eh, what the hell. A lead's a lead, and the worst that can happen is maybe a complaint."

Pushing his chair back, the young senior commissioner from Chugoku got up and grabbed his coat, "I think there's a tram heading out to Hinata in the next few minutes. Up for a trip Aki?"

"Did you really have to ask?" Akisora also rose from his seat and adjusted his robe once more before turning to Yuko, "Thanks again for the help Yuko-nee! Hold down the fort while we're gone ok?"

"You can count on me Aki-sama, Ruumari-sama," the lovely servant replied with a nod as she watched them leave the room. Yuko kept her gaze at the door for several moments before glancing back at the papers that still littered the desk with narrowed eyes.

'…be careful you two…'

After a fairly comfortable ride on the tram, the two Tachibana found themselves facing the formidable stone staircase that lead up the hill to Hinata-sou. Akisora drank in the sight and whistled, "Wow…Urashima-san has to scale this thing every day? His leg strength must be ridiculous."

"You can ask him when you see him," Ruumari said before walking over to begin the daunting climb, Akisora behind him by only a few footsteps. The older man took note of the tea house by the base of the stairs. A fair number of customers were sitting outside enjoying the summer weather, while what appeared to be the owner of the café seemed to be taking orders and heading into the kitchen.

'It'd be nice if we could stop by for cup,' the older man mused as they cleared half the steps, 'I might just risk the confrontation for a pick me up after this…Kami, who's idea was this staircase?!'

Somewhere in the heavens, an Urashima architect was laughing their ass off.

Eventually, the two reached the top of the hill, panting as they tried to reclaim their breath. Once they got their bearings, Ruumari and Akisora looked ahead at the regal structure of the Hinata-sou. The light of the midday sun complimented the lustrous red roof and made the colors of the building pop out more. Despite its age, the dorm still possessed a majestic, vibrant aura that seemingly breathed new life into the unexpected visitors.

"…I think I'm starting to see why this place gets so hyped up around here," Akisora quipped with a light grin, "it's beautiful."

"It definitely has the look and feel of the seat of power for one the country's premier families," Ruumari agreed before he and his partner for the day walked up to the entrance. After respectfully knocking on the door, the investigators heard a meek-sounding voice answer, "O-one minute please!"

'That sounded like a young school girl. Does Urashima-san really look after residents of such a young age?' Akisora noted wondered before the door opened to reveal a slightly stunned Shinobu who clearly wasn't expecting any guests, "H-Hello. W-Welcome to the Hinata-sou. May I help you?"

"Good afternoon miss! Forgive us for intruding," Ruumari began, putting on his best disarming expression. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a small leather case and flipped it open to show his identification card and badge, "My name is Tachibana Ruumari, I'm with the Chugoku Police. And this is Tachibana Akisora, from the Imperial Guardians organization."

"Yo!" Akisora waved with a cheerful grin.

"We were wondering if an Urashima Keitaro was around?"

If the realization that she was speaking with two very high ranked government officials didn't rattle the young chef enough, then their name dropping of her landlord certainly did the trick, "W-W-What happened with Senpai?! I-I-Is he in t-trouble?!"

Akisora waved his arms reassuringly, "No no! It's nothing that crazy, we promise. We're just working a case regarding the family member of one of the tenants here and we thought Urashima-san could give us some more insight."

Upon hearing that her beloved sempai wasn't in any danger, Shinobu calmed down a bit, though the presence of the two still made her rather nervous, "I-I see. Well, Sempai went into the city earlier on an errand. I-I don't know when he'll get back…"

The younger Tachibana chuckled, "Heh, well it was worth a shot. If we leave our information here with you, would you be able to let him know we stopped by and just want to ask him a couple questions?"

The young girl nodded, and Ruumari passed her a business card with his number, "Just have him call us at this number. And let him know he's not in any trouble, but we just want to follow up on some leads and we believe he might have some information that could help us."

The timid young woman nodded as she accepted the cards, "I-I'll make sure he gets this-"

"Shinobu? Is everything alright? Who is at the door?"

Shinobu jumped slightly at the cool voice that called out to her, "O-Oh, it's nothing Motoko-sempai!"

The three heard the sound of approaching footsteps heralding the arrival of the resident kendoka. Curious, Akisora peered around the door, 'This new girl sounds a little older…and her footsteps are more measured. Like a warrior on their guard…'

As soon as she came into full view, the younger Tachibana blanched before running to the side of the door and doing his best to stay hidden, confusing his older cousin.

'Sweet Kami, SHE'S here?! Is this someone's idea of a joke?! Because if it is, it's not cool!'

"Who are you speaking with here, Shinobu," Motoko asked again, but now her eyes were narrowed into a suspicious glare, one hand slowly inching toward the handle of her trusted bokken, "are they bothering you?"

"N-N-No, not at all Motoko-sempai! Th-They're with the police and they wanted to talk to Sempai about a case they're working on!" the young girl replied quickly, trying her best to calm her older housemate down before she got angry. Motoko's tightening jaw and grounded stance already telling her he was failing, "I-I swear they weren't bothering me at all!"

Taking note of the rising hostility in the newcomer, Ruumari quickly interjected, "That's right. We just wanted to ask Urashima-san a few quick questions regarding the Narusegawa case."

"…we?"

The older man gestured behind him, much to Akisora's chagrin, "That's right. My skittish partner here has been helping with my investigation. For Kami's sake Aki, what's the matter with you?"

"Nothing! Nothing! Just…admiring the courtyard here!"

Motoko's eyes widened a fraction, 'Wait…I have heard this voice before…'

The swordswoman took a step forward, shielding Shinobu behind her, "Who are you? Reveal yourself cretin!"

"…I see you haven't changed much from the last time we met, Aoyama-san…"

It took only a second after Akisora walked back into view for Motoko's eyes to widen in recognition, "…You!"

The air temperature around the four suddenly spiked, drips of sweat actually forming on Shinobu, Ruumari, and Akisora's heads. Waves of heat rolled off Motoko's frame before she became enveloped in a wispy cloud of furious ki. Even the gravity in the immediate area seemed to double, making it hard for those not versed in the ways of ki energy to breathe.

'W-W-What is this?! I've never…seen Motoko-sempai so angry!' Shinobu began to panic as her body went into shock, unable to even lift a finger as fear paralyzed her completely, 'I-I don't understand…!'

"E-Easy there Aoyama-san," Akisora slowly raised his hands placatingly and began to take careful steps back towards the stairs, "I'm just passing through with my cousin here…I didn't even know you lived here-"

"LEAVE! NOW!"

The ki around Motoko began to writhe around furiously, like a raging beast on the precipice of mauling those before it, only being held back by the barest of restraints. Ruumari needed only to look into the enraged girl's eyes to know she was seconds away from attacking his cousin, 'I don't think I've ever seen hate that strong in someone's eyes in a loooong time…what is with this girl?!'

"Right, we'll be taking our leave now. Please give that number to Urashima-san and let him know to call us as soon as he can," Ruumari backed away and pulled Akisora away cautiously. Their eyes never left the seething kendoka until they reached the stairs and quickly turned around to start their descent.

Once they reached the road again and the oppressive feeling of the Aoyama heiress' ki felt significantly lesser, Ruumari let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding, "Sweet Kami…I was expecting a few different reactions to us popping up like that, but that was not what I had in mind…"

"Congratulations Ruu…you just…witnessed the wrath…of an Aoyama woman and survived…" Akisora panted out, hands on his knees as he tried to get his breath back. The two sat on the bench at the tram station to rest, with Ruumari making a quick call for a car to come pick them up. Twenty minutes later, a black sedan with tinted windows pulled up to the two and a chauffeur opened the back door for them, "Your transport, Ruumari-sama."

Nodding their thanks, the two Tachibana entered the back seat and got comfortable as the car pulled away from the Urashima's ancestral home. It was halfway into the ride home that Ruumari decided to break the ice, "So…you going to tell me what that was all about Aki?"

"…to be honest, I'd really prefer not to…"

Far away from the brewing turmoil at Hinata-sou, the young landlord of the dorms enjoyed a few moments of respite as he sat down in one of the picturesque fields on Tokyo-U's campus. All around him groups of students were chatting away animatedly about their summer classes, and even a few faculty members had decided to make the most of the slightly cloudy, but gentle weather the day had brought them. Keitaro did his best to tune out the conversation of two teachers as they walked by, his heightened hearing senses picking up what they were saying.

"-such a waste, you know? Doing all that work, and then just deciding to postpone admission?"

"Rumors say it's a clan emergency or something like that…"

"Maybe…still, people would kill for a chance at this place…clan heirs are still so frivolous these days…"

'I think I can take a guess at who they're talking about…' Keitaro thought wryly as he got to his feet from his spot in the grass. After a lengthy tour of the archaeology department, courtesy of Seta, he had paid a visit to the admissions office to explain to them the "reasons" for his decision not to attend that semester, taking advantage of his social status as the Urashima Clan heir to carefully craft a story about Hina tasking him with further responsibilities that would ultimately take too much attention away from his studies. While the dean of the school and his staff bought it, rumors still spread to the rest of the faculty like wildfire. Many teachers who had been expecting to instruct the future head of Hinata City's premier clan were left to ponder the truth of the matter.

From the sound of it, some professors had already begun their wild speculations.

Stretching a bit to get the kinks out of his back, Keitaro adjusted the bokken on his side and began to set off for home when his cell began buzzing. Taking it from the inner pocket of his gi, the landlord checked the id flashing on the screen, 'Kishimoto-jiji? Wonder what this could be about…'

"Keitaro speaking."

"Good afternoon, Mononobe-dono. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

Keitaro chuckled, "No, I was just finishing up some business at Tokyo-U. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is going just fine young man. As a matter of fact, you being in the city now is perfect timing. Would you be able to come to the main office within the next hour?"

The landlord paused a moment to consider his schedule for the day, "I believe I could drop by for a little. Aside from some chores and training, I don't think I have any pressing engagements today."

"Excellent. I will see you when you arrive…I have some information that you may find most useful…"

Keitaro's eyes narrowed a fraction, as the only times the acting president of Nagareboshi wished to present him with information personally always had to do with his self-appointed mission. Placing his phone back into his pocket, Keitaro quickly made his way off campus and onto the first bus headed towards the center of Tokyo. It wasn't long before he stood before the familiar colossal skyscraper, its steel and glass exterior glistening in the afternoon sun.

As he calmly made his way through the lobby to the elevators on the other side of the room, the landlord passed several employees who quickly bowed in greeting, "Welcome back, Urashima-dono!"

With a gentle laugh, Keitaro waved them off politely, "At ease everyone. I'm just here for a cursory visit. It is good to see you all in high spirits."

The employees stood upright with genuine smiles on their faces before heading on their way to whatever duties awaited them. Keitaro soon made it to the elevators and slid a keycard to activate the program that would send him straight to the main office. Feeling the car lurch before speeding upward, the avenger leaned against the wall and took a breath to focus himself, 'I wonder what he's learned…hopefully something that can speed up the timetable a bit.'

The chime of the elevator marking his arrival brought Keitaro out of his musings. Upon the doors opening he saw the entrance to Kishimoto's office was wide open, with the secretary missing from the front desk. Entering the office, Keitaro spotted the older man standing at the large panoramic window. Silently moving next to him, the younger man noticed Kishimoto's hard gaze was centered on the visage of another skyscraper closer to the north of the city.

Akasuisei's headquarters.

"You arrived faster than I thought. I suppose traffic was not too troublesome at this hour?"

"Not at all, the bus driver was very competent," Keitaro replied though he kept his eyes pointed toward the commercial home of his hated enemies, "How's your health?"

Kishimoto chuckled, "Well enough to continue to see things through on my end, but that's not what I called you here for."

Finally turning to the younger man, the acting president's eyes hardened, "I have learned that our 'friends' will be holding a special meeting with some new clients. After months of trying, Minato has managed to attract some American buyers. On the surface, it appears to be a discussion on a partnership with Akasuisei's pharmaceutical division…but something tells me that's not all they are here for…"

Keitaro let the information sink in, the glare he still pointed outside remaining unchanged but for a slight reddening of his eyes, "Minato will be attending this meeting personally?"

Kishimoto nodded, "Yes, along with his son and several of their board members. It will be the first time Minato has been in public since the death of his other two sons."

"Security measures?"

"He has hired a detachment of new bodyguards and even borrowed a few Imperial Guards," the older man replied, turning back to the view outside, "…and there are whispers that the Americans will be accompanied by a contingent of Navy SEALs acting as their primary security force."

Keitaro cursed under his breath, "That…could prove problematic. Bad enough it's Americans of all people, since putting them in any kind of danger would reflect badly on the country. A team of one of their most elite military factions acting as additional security though…that changes things a bit. My plans may need to be revised."

"Indeed. Ever since Rikimaru's death, Minato has become all the more obsessed with the wellbeing of his family. Especially his last remaining triplet, Ichimaru."

"He is the one our new friend wanted to kill personally," Keitaro recalled as he finally stepped away from the window and took a seat at the large desk. Swiveling the plush chair toward his surrogate grandfather, the avenger shot him a pleased smirk, "this means both of our main targets are guaranteed to be in one place."

The older man ran a hand through his long, silver hair, "As much as I would like to agree on that, I believe this may be too risky a venture to attempt. You have managed well against their guards before, but those were just bodyguards. This time you will be up against trained elite soldiers, some of the best of the most powerful military force in the world-"

"It's a risk we'll have to take, jiji," Keitaro interrupted, eyes burning with barely restrained rage, "as of right now I have no idea when a golden opportunity like this will drop into our laps again. I have allowed those Tachibana swine enough time to mourn their dead and lick their wounds. Now is the time to send them off to join their brethren in hell."

"I had a feeling you would say that. In that case," with a resigned sigh, Kishimoto walked to a set of shelves on one side of the windows and plucked a file from between two large books. Placing it on the desk in front of the landlord, his face grew stony, "Here is all the information we were able to obtain about the layout of the building, as well as the attendees and their security. It isn't much, but Director Murakami had to make use of several trusted contacts to obtain it."

"Give him my utmost thanks and let him know I'll be paying him a visit as soon as I can," Keitaro replied as he gracefully picked up the sealed folder and placed it into his gi, "it's been a while since I last saw all the directors. If possible, please schedule a meeting to catch me up on everything within the next two weeks."

"It would be my pleasure Kyoshiro-dono," the older man nodded with a small grin, "is there anything else I can do for you?"

The landlord was about to decline when his phone buzzed again, this time with a text message. Reading through it quickly, he glanced back up with a smile of his own, "Actually, there is a small favor I'd like to ask you."

"Sheesh, this place is huge," Naru whispered as she marveled at the sheer size of the building in front of her. When she had messaged Keitaro to let him know she had returned from visiting her parents, the last thing she expected her boyfriend to do was tell her to meet him downstairs at the headquarters of one of the most illustrious companies in Japan. Just from looking into the lobby of the building, with a beautifully sculpted white marble fountain situated in the center of the expansive black marble floor, the futuristic-looking tube elevators with glass doors and cars that sped upwards in a flash, and a very comfortable looking waiting area by the receptionist's desk with plush leather sofas, bamboo plants, and vending machines that sold high-quality snacks, the lovely brunette could almost feel the incalculable amount of wealth the company possessed.

Making her way inside, Naru headed towards the receptionist, an attractive young woman only a couple years her senior with lustrous black hair and warm brown eyes, "Good afternoon and welcome to Nagareboshi Tokyo. How may I help you today?"

"Hey there, uh…I was told by a friend from here to meet him downstairs?" the normally confident young woman replied shyly, something about her environment making her feel small all of a sudden.

The receptionist took note of how lost Naru seemed and softened her gaze a bit, "I see. First time here?"

"How did you know?"

With a small giggle, the receptionist waved her arm around their surroundings, "It is all too easy for someone who has never witnessed this place before to become overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Nagareboshi is one of the gems of our country, and our superiors tend to go a little overboard with wanting to make everyone comfortable…without realizing that their efforts tend to do the opposite."

Naru laughed, thankful for the icebreaker and the receptionist's explanation, "Sounds about right. Would it be ok for me to go to the waiting area?"

"Of course. Who exactly are you waiting for?"

"Is that you, Naru-chan?"

Both women looked over to the elevator where Keitaro emerged with Kishimoto beside him, both men making their way over while giving polite greetings to the animated staff who passed by. The receptionist glanced back over at Naru, a single eyebrow raised in surprise, "Your friend is Urashima-dono?"

"Urashima-dono?" Naru asked, somewhat confused as to how her unassuming landlord garnered such respect from not just the young lady at the desk, but everyone he passed. Fixing Keitaro with a curious glance, she waited until he was close enough before asking, "What gives? Are you the secret president of the company or something Kei-kun?"

Keitaro had enough modesty to look embarrassed, laughing awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head, "Uhhh, nothing that grandiose I'm afraid. The Urashima clan and the clan that founded this company have been close for a very long time. As clan heir, one of the ways I help foster and maintain that relationship is by coming here to visit with the president and his board of directors to discuss the company's direction and future endeavors."

The landlord then gestured to the tall, distinguished looking older gentleman next to him, "This is Kishimoto Genji, CEO of Nagareboshi Tokyo and acting President of Nagareboshi as a whole."

"A pleasure to meet you, young lady," Kishimoto greeted with a friendly smile, hand held out for a handshake, "Urashima-dono has told me much about you."

"Narusegawa Naru, and has he now?" Naru responded, gently gripping the older man's hand as she tried to force away the butterflies in her stomach, 'I knew I recognized this guy from somewhere! He's all over the covers of Suu's tech magazines! Kei-kun gets to talk shop with people like this regularly?!'

Keitaro chose then to intervene, "Nothing but good things, I promise. Ready to get back home?"

Seeing Naru nod slowly, the young woman still reeling from experiencing the gravitas of the landlord's clan responsibilities, Keitaro bit back a chuckle and turned to Kishimoto and the receptionist, "Thank you for looking after my friend Sakamoto-san, and thanks again for the update Kishimoto-jiji. I really do appreciate it."

"Happy to be of assistance, Urashima-dono!" Sakamoto replied happily, while Kishimoto shook Keitaro's hand once again, "It is always a pleasure, Urashima-dono. Feel free to come visit anytime, and do keep me updated on your progress."

"I will," with one last nod, Keitaro and Naru departed the lobby and rejoined the throng of people on the sidewalk, losing themselves within the crowd.

"So, let me get this straight: every time you told us you had clan business to deal with, you were meeting with that guy?" the brunette asked upon finally regaining her nerves, shyness quickly replaced with burning curiosity.

"Not every time, but a lot of my duties as clan head involve getting progress reports on Nagareboshi's growth," Keitaro replied, happy to see his girlfriend recovering well from her shock, "the company has been expanding rapidly over the past couple of years and it's my job to keep tabs on it to make sure they don't stretch themselves too thin."

The brunette nodded before shooting her boyfriend a mischievous smirk, "You know…if Kitsune ever found out you have friends in such high places, she'd never leave you alone."

Keitaro facepalmed, "Which is exactly why I don't broadcast my status as clan head or handle my affairs out in the open at the dorms. She's troublesome enough without knowing that stuff."

Naru's smirk widened, "And yet despite being like a ninja with all this stuff, you just let me in on it so easily."

The landlord chuckled and turned to look at the near-grinning girl beside him, "I did. Because I trust you and I have no problem introducing you to those aspects of my life."

A prominent blush came over the brunette's face as her smirk became a beautiful smile. Gently, she took Keitaro's hand and wove their fingers together in a loving grasp, "Well thank you for trusting me, Kei-kun. Your secret's safe with me."

Keitaro returned the gesture with a warm smile and squeezed her hand. Checking the time on his phone, he realized it was still pretty early in the afternoon, "We still have a while before we need to be back at Hinata-sou…anything you want to do while we're in the city?"

"Hmmm…ice cream in the park?"

The landlord nodded with a grin, "Ice cream in the park it is."

By the time the couple began making their way back up the grand staircase of Hinata-sou, the sun had already begun its descent from the sky, leaving it awash in gold, red, and orange hues. Neither were too aware of this however, both lost in conversation as they finished off their ice cream cones.

"So just to recap, you've been working with that famous old guy for years now to help manage a globally acclaimed company?" Naru asked before tossing the last of her cone into her mouth, "You realize that kind of makes you a CEO by proxy, right?"

Keitaro chuckled before taking a few final licks of his chocolate flavored treat, "In a sense I suppose it does…but I'm still not experienced enough to hold such a position, plus the company is not ours. It belonged to an allied clan, and there was no stipulation made to pass on ownership in the event of their passing so we just help to manage things for now."

The brunette beauty frowned, "I see…but still, considering all the work you've been putting into the place, they'd probably be more than happy to offer you a spot in upper management, if not something close to the president himself!"

She stopped just as they reached the top of the stairs, a hand clenched into a fist above her chest, "…if they did that, you wouldn't even need a degree from Tokyo-U at all…so why even bother going?"

The landlord picked up on the apprehension in his girlfriend's voice, and easily understood where she was coming from. Finishing off his cone, he turned and walked up to Naru until he stood directly in front of her. Gently tilting her head up to face him, he gifted her with a small, reassuring smile, "I have two very important reasons for that. The first being that I really would like to pursue archaeology since it's fascinated me since I was a child…and second, because I promised you that we would attend Tokyo-U together. I plan on keeping that promise no matter what position may be offered to me."

Naru's eyes widened and a small blush appeared on her cheeks. Keitaro fought the urge to smirk, instead his eyes found a small bit of vanilla ice cream on the corner of the brunette's lips. Unable to help himself he leant down and quickly licked the treat off, earning him an even deeper blush, "You had some ice cream left, and using a napkin wouldn't have been as fun."

Naru let out a shocked yelp, but quickly saw through the landlord's game and smirked, "You jerk…and looks like you have some ice cream left too," she tapped the top of her lips to convey just where the "ice cream" was, "riiight here."

"Huh…guess I'll need that napkin after all."

Cupping his face in her hands, Naru began leaning up towards him, "Nuh-uh. Lemme get that for you Kei-ku-"

"S-S-SEMPAIII!"

The two moved away from each other slowly as they noticed a panicked-looking Shinobu sprinting towards them. The young chef barreled into Keitaro, arms gripping him in a vice lock as she blitzed him with words, "PleasesempaiyouneedtogohelpMotokoshesbeeninthebackforhoursandshesreallyscaryand-"

"Whoa, take it easy Shinobu-chan!" Naru cried as she knelt down in front of the girl, "That's it, deep breaths. Now what's going on with Motoko?"

The crying young woman took a few more breaths to steady herself before looking at her sempais with wide blue eyes, "M-M-Motoko's been in the b-bamboo forest for hours now cutting down trees, a-and I tried to get her to stop, but she's b-b-been so mad since this afternoon! I-I haven't been able to get close!"

Naru hugged the distraught girl to her while Keitaro gently squeezed her shoulder to help calm her down, "It'll be ok Shinobu, there's no need to worry. You said she was in the bamboo forest, right?"

Seeing the blunette nod, the landlord turned to Naru, "Please take her back to her room and help her to calm down. I'll go see what's wrong with Aoyama-san."

"Got it, I'll take care of her. Be careful Kei-kun," Naru warned her boyfriend before pulling Shinobu to her feet and escorting her inside. Keitaro waited until he saw the pair head upstairs before dashing into the building and through several hallways until he emerged at the hot springs. Leaping over the walls, the landlord quickly made his way through the thick bamboo stalks while using his ki-sensing abilities to pick up on the enraged kendoka, 'She's really putting out a lot of ki…what the hell could have pissed her off so much?'

It wasn't long before the sound of crashing trees, a sword slashing through the air, and angered grunts and screams reached the landlord's ears. Keitaro slowed down and cautiously made his way closer to the noises before finally coming upon a clearing he knew had not been in the forest before.

'…I'm gonna have to have a little talk with her about unnecessary collateral damage after this…'

In the center of the clearing, a huffing, growling Motoko stood with a slight hunch, sweat pouring down her face and her bokken held to her side in both hands. Despite looking fatigued, Keitaro sensed she still had quite a bit of ki left.

'She still has power to burn…and from that crazed look in her eyes, she's not done with her rampage just yet,' the landlord assessed as he felt the girl beginning to get her second wind. Before he could come up with his next move however, Motoko's piercing gaze shot towards his direction, "Intruder! You dare to spy on me!? Take this!"

Without warning, Motoko covered the distance between herself and the landlord's position in an instant, Keitaro barely having enough time to draw his bokken and block the strike. The force of the blow sent a gale-force wind all around, shattering any weakened bamboo stalks and clearing the ground near them of debris.

'Kami! It's been a while since I felt such power!' Keitaro glanced back at the girl nervously before pushing back hard enough with his bokken to throw her off, "Aoyama-san! It's me, Keitaro! Listen, you need to calm down-"

"BEGONE YOU BASTARD!"

Keitaro threw up a hasty Terukaeshi (Glare) to block the nearly overpowered Raimeiken (Thunderclap Sword) that came screaming his way. Even through his shield of ki, the Mononobe heir could feel how charged the air became around him from her attack, 'Note to self…NEVER let her hit me flush with one of those…'

Growling at her failed attempt to end the fight, the Aoyama heiress dashed forward again and unleashed a slew of strikes, besieging Keitaro as he found himself struggling to gain footing. Eventually, the landlord spotted his chance to strike when Motoko overextended one of her blows, 'There!'

Keitaro ducked under the swipe and quickly moved into the kenkoka's personal space, grabbing her arm and throwing her over his shoulder into the ground. The hard impact on her back knocked the wind out of Motoko, and before she could try to get it back Keitaro knelt over her and threw her bokken to the side before grabbing her wrists and holding them to the ground above her head, "Aoyama-san. Calm. Down."

The girl struggled below him for a few more moments before she settled for glaring at him when it became clear she would not get free anytime soon. It was only a few seconds later that recognition began to filter in Motoko's eyes, her ki levels then dropping back to normal and the last bits of struggling coming to an end.

"…U…Urashima-san?"

"Yo."

"…why are you restraining me in such a vulgar position?"

It was then that Keitaro took note of how he was practically straddling the ebony-haired swordswoman, holding her hands in place and their faces a little too close to be purely platonic, "…it was the only way to get you to calm down."

"…"

"…I'll get off you now."

The landlord quickly released Motoko's hands and got to his feet before offering a hand to the swordswoman. Doing a remarkable job of hiding the pale pink dusting her cheeks, Motoko accepted the gesture and allowed Keitaro to help her up. Walking over to the side, she picked up her discarded bokken before turning to face her "opponent", "My apologies for causing you trouble…I…suffered a temporary lapse in emotional control."

"So I saw," Keitaro quipped, unaffected by the slight glare he received in return, "what in the world angered you so much that you flew into a frenzy and made Shinobu panic?"

Motoko had the decency to look ashamed after hearing she had frightened the timid young girl, "I did not mean to scar Shinobu-chan, and I will be sure to apologize to her as soon as possible. The reason for my rage was a visit by two men to the dorms earlier today."

Keitaro's attention piqued up at the mention of strangers coming to Hinata-sou, "Two men you say?"

"Yes. They were police officers and they were here looking for you," she continued, though her grip on her bokken tightened to the point Keitaro could hear the wood start to creak, "something about wanting to ask you a few questions."

A chill went down the Mononobe heir's spine, having a sneaking suspicion that he knew where this was going, "I see…and did these officers tell you who they were, or give you a means to allow me to contact them?"

The air around them began to chill as Motoko unconsciously released a chilling blast of ki. Taking a breath to calm herself down, she reached into her gi and pulled out a crumpled card. Her next words made reading the name on the card irrelevant, "I know exactly who they were…Tachibana."

A dark, foreboding look came over Keitaro's eyes at that name, "…is that right…"

'…guess Kimiko gets to say I told you so after all…damn it…'

"I told you so boya~"

Keitaro fought the urge to groan at the playful teasing from his cohort, "I really don't need this from you right now…even if you were right."

It had only been a couple hours since the landlord had managed to get Motoko to regain her senses. At this point everyone was asleep, giving Keitaro the perfect chance to call the lovely assassin and update her on what happened. Needless to say, Kimiko was thoroughly amused.

"Yes you do, because I've always told you that your hero complex would get you in trouble one day. Regardless, what's done is done and the only thing that matters now is that you've become a person of interest to them. You need to tread carefully."

"I figured as much," the landlord replied, scratching the back of his head in frustration as he sat by the window of his room. The soft moonlight did little to ease his state of mind, "I already have an alibi I can use, even if it's a bit flimsy."

"Don't even bother. Ruumari is a highly skilled detective, he'll be able to sniff out even the barest hints of a lie. Not even using your ki to control your pulse would throw him off since he could probably sense that too…I'm afraid you might have to give them some of the truth."

Keitaro cringed, "That can't be the only option. If I tell them about stopping the assault on Naru's sister, it will establish enough grounds to say I had a grudge against him…and if they find out I used to work at Tensai-"

"When he finds out you used to work at Tensai. Unless you decide to bribe the chefs into silence or murder them, it will eventually come to Ruumari's attention that you were employed there. He'll put the dots together regardless…"

The avenger clenched his fist at his side, mentally kicking himself for leaving such obvious loose ends, "We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there. I may have some ideas as to how we can throw him off the trail, but we'll have to move quickly."

"I'm looking forward to hearing your plans to fix this mess-hang on, I'll call you back Kyoshiro-kun. Something just came up."

"Wait, what happened? Kimiko?" Keitaro asked, but only received a clicking sound indicating the assassin had hung up on him, "…what in Kami just happened?"

Back at Lawliet's darkened apartment, Kimiko leaned closer to her computer screen and maximized one of the smaller open tabs. All over the screen were several live feeds from her robotic dragonfly scouts. While some were scattered throughout the city, a few had been positioned in key areas of the Imperial Palace grounds.

And one of them just picked up movement coming from the rear of Minato's mansion.

"Well well, what do we have here?" Kimiko whispered to herself as she watched a young sub-class Tachibana woman sneak across the grounds, expertly avoiding the sentries until she came to the old Fukiage Omiya palace quite a distance away. After making sure the coast was clear, the woman pressed down on a certain spot on the wall to activate a secret door that slid to the side.

'There's something the surveyors missed when they checked the grounds a while ago,' the lovely assassin mused as she continued to watch the woman duck inside. Typing out a quick order to her drone to follow before the passageway closed up, Kimiko made herself comfortable in the cushioned chair.

"And here I thought it would be a boring night…now, let's see what you're hiding little bird…"

The sounds of clanking metal and hissing welding flames echoed throughout the deeper halls of the old palace, making it easy for Yuko to find her two co-conspirators. The noises led her underground to the old armory as opposed to where she normally met with the others. In the surprisingly vast room, the demure servant found Takeshi and Sakura hard at work constructing their bombs, both working at a long table covered in pieces of metal, motherboards, and all kinds of electronics.

"Sakura, did you remember to place the receivers and the charges in the second housing?" Takeshi asked as he carefully welded one of the bombs shut. At the other end of the table, the younger sibling slowly lowered the improvised charges before attaching the detonator, "Just took care of it now. Are you sure these ancient things are gonna work though?"

Finishing his task, the elder sibling glanced over and watched his sister work, "You know we didn't have any other choice. If we tried to get more modern charges, we would've run the risk of the wrong people catching on. Or did you forget Ichimaru has eyes all over the underworld of Hinata and Tokyo?"

"…just wish we could get our hands on Semtex or something…that would've been way cooler and more dependable than this dated C4 crap."

"You two look like you're hard at work," Yuko giggled as she walked towards them, silently admiring not just the work of the siblings but their ability to quietly turn the old armory of the abandoned palace into an honest-to-kami war room right under Minato's nose, "Would it be correct of me to assume you've completed the devices?"

Sakura shot the older woman a vicious grin, "You got it, Yuko-nee. Aniki just needs to weld the last few components of this baby and we'll be all set."

"That one will take a bit more time since it'll be the one that we attach to the bottom of the car," Takeshi chimed in as Yuko took a seat across from him, "But no need to worry, I'll have it done with time to spare. Any luck on your end?"

Yuko's smile dropped as she shook her head, "Unfortunately, everyone else is far too paralyzed with fear of the main branch to even contemplate rebellion, let alone join ours. I'm afraid we're on our own."

"Those spineless, fucking-" Sakura slammed her hand on the table, thankfully away from the sensitive explosives next to her, "are they really fine being the main branches little bitches for the rest of their lives?!"

"After seeing what happened to Riika-chan and her family a couple months ago…can you really blame them?" Takeshi grimaced. The mood in the room dropped at the reminder of the senseless slaughter of an entire sub-branch family.

Yuko fought back the urge to shiver at the grim reminder, "I still hear rumors floating about regarding how Ranmaru and Rikimaru pursued Riika and her mother…and what they put them through when they found them…but this is precisely why we're doing this. Even if it's just the five of us."

Reaching into her kimono, Yuko pulled out a large folded piece of paper. Unfurling it on the table revealed a detailed floor plan, "This is the layout of the floor in Akasuisei HQ where the meeting will take place. Eri really came through for us with this."

"I'll say," Sakura whistled as she looked over the plans with a careful eye, "This looks pretty complicated but we can have a spot picked out for the first bomb in a couple days. We have two weeks before this all goes down anyway, so plenty of time."

"We still need to finalize everyone's positions on the day of as well," Takeshi pointed out as he examined the map himself, "We already know Jin-san will be driving in the Tachibana convoy, but there's still getting Eri-san and Sakura-chan placed on the roster for the cleaning staff at Akasuisei…as well as figuring out where you should be placed, Yuko-nee."

Yuko nervously shifted in her seat, "I…actually have a request regarding that…"

Seeing she had both siblings' attention on her, the elder conspirator continued, "I know this may run counter to our plans, as well as present a possible risk to us…but I would like to have the opportunity to distract Ruumari-sama while the operation is underway."

Takeshi rubbed his chin in thought, "…as much as I feel that could be a bad idea, it makes a little sense. Once things get going, Ruumari is one of the few people who could ruin the second phase completely."

"But aniki, if we take him out doesn't that mean our exit strategy would go a lot smoother?"

Takeshi shook his head, "Ruumari is the next in line for the highest position in the country's police force and a favorite of many politicians and bureaucrats. If we kill him, we'll have every detective and police officer in Japan coming for our blood…and last I checked, the plan is for us all to make it through this rebellion alive."

Sakura lowered her head in shame, embarrassed that she had overlooked Ruumari's position. Turning back to Yuko, Takeshi gave her a nod, "I'll talk to Eri-san and see what she says about this new addition to the plan. I can't guarantee anything, but I will do my best."

"That's all I ask, Takeshi-kun. Thank you," Yuko replied with relief, "By the way, I have a few details from Jin-san to go over with you."

For the next few hours, the three rebellious sub-branch members went over the floor plans and discussed the finer details of the operation. Unbeknownst to them, a single dragonfly hovered silently above them in the ceiling. It's metallic amber eyes gleamed as it scanned everything on the table, from the maps to the bombs to the itinerary for Minato's meeting.

'…you naughty, naughty children…I think you just gave us the opening we've been looking for…'

Author's Note - Hello again everyone and happy new year! I realize I was gone for a lot longer than normal, and for that all I can say is it was a very rough year with finishing grad school and a mess of slings and arrows from life. I will try to do better with this and the other stories I've posted. In the meantime, we're finally getting closer to the climactic battle. The sub-branch plot has been discovered and Keitaro now has the information he needs to put an end to the 5th Pillar. Except now he has the ultimate super-cop on his trail. Whoops.

I'll cut my rambling off here for now. Big thanks to my beta-reader Cloud Link Zero for continuing to get on my ass and remind me not to get so lost in life that I forget my favorite hobby. Read, review, comment, and as always flames will be doused with liquid nitrogen. Take care everyone

Ciph signin' off