"Mikoto," Izumo said. The tone he was using suggested this wasn't his first attempt to get the redheaded king sitting in a stool at the counter's attention.

The mentioned king sighed rather loudly. "What is it this time?"

Izumo groaned and went back to cleaning a wine glass. Really, how this guy became the Red King, he'll never know. "That gang assaulted another woman yesterday. The police wants our help in this case."

Mikoto turned his head to Izumo. "What gang?"

Izumo didn't look up from what he was doing. "You don't watch the news often, do you? A small group of three or four men have been assaulting women in this part of Shizume for a few weeks now. However, the police never managed to catch them. Now I say assault, because they've done things from robbing women to raping them."

Mikoto smirked. "Those guys really can't manage to catch a few lowlives?"

Izumo ignored him. "Anyway, it's apparently gone on so long that they want HOMRA's aid. Totsuka has already gone out early this morning to patrol this section of the city. Unfortunately, the gang strikes at different times during the day in order to make it harder to track them, so he'll be gone all day. I'll also be heading out soon."

"You also want me to go out since you're telling me this?" Mikoto asked.

Izumo gave a smile. "That's right."

Mikoto grumbled and mulled over whether or not he should do this. He didn't really feel like it. But on the other hand, what if Tatara ran into those thugs? Despite receiving part of Mikoto's power, he couldn't fight back. He would just get his ass kicked.

Letting out an exaggerated sigh, Mikoto stood up, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants, and headed for the bar's door. Izumo looked surprised. "You're really going out?"

"What? You asked me to."

"I never thought I'd see the day where you'd do something I'd ask of you."

"Shut up."

Mikoto was thinking about how if those thugs were encountered, it would be by him or Izumo. In that case, the guys would be incinerated for thinking they can do wherever. Well, Izumo would probably hold back so the men would be turned in alive. But if they hurt Tatara, even he wouldn't show mercy. Hopefully, Tatara would be smart enough to keep his distance from the gang. But, much to Mikoto's annoyance, he wasn't one to shy away from danger.

Mikoto looked up at the sky and realized he had lost track of time. The afternoon has arrived. Their still weren't many people passing him, most were still at work. Right now, Mikoto was passing by the playground. It was summer break for those in school, but it was humid out, so it was completely empty. At least, it should have been.

Sitting on one of the benches was a woman with hair of pure white snow going down to her shoulders and eyes the color of the clear sky above. She had a pale complexion, making it look like she would burn despite her being in the shade. All her attention was fixed on her phone, she must be doing something on it. The humidity didn't seem to be affecting her. Or maybe it was, considering she was in the shade. A layer of sweat glistened on her face, but she was probably ignoring the stifling heat.

Three men walked up to the woman. All had their hoods up and bandages on their faces so you can't identity them. One was holding a pistol. They may be the ones assaulting women. The number certainly matched. Mikoto debated with himself whether or not he should interfere. Meh, too much effort. He'll step in when too much noise is made. The few people who also passed by the playground didn't look up to see what was happening, too engrossed in their PDAs.

The woman gave the men a sweet smile, not displaying any fear of the barrel of the pistol pointed at her face. She set her phone down on the bench. "Can I help you three?"

"Come with us, lady," the man pointing the gun at her said. "Refuse or scream, and we'll kill you on the spot."

He reached one hand to the woman, who was still smiling sweetly. But before the man's hand could touch her, her own shot out and grabbed his wrist. Before the man could react, there was a sickening sound of something snapping that reached Mikoto's ears. The man pulled his hand back while bellowing loudly.

"You bitch!" another man hissed, he and the third man each ripping out a pistol. They were angled to her so they wouldn't accidentally shoot the other. But when they fired, she jumped up at lightning speed.

"Maybe the next time you try to take advantage of someone, you should consider if they can fight back," she giggled. As she descended between the two men, she kicked both heads simultaneously. The men crumpled to the ground, both unconscious.

The first man stopped screaming and shakily pointed his gun at her. "Wh-what the hell are you?!" He fired, but the woman simply held her arm up in front of her head. But instead of being damaged, the bullet bounced off her forearm without breaking the skin.

She grinned as if this filled her with joy. "Is that all you got?" She appeared in front of the man and delivered a blow to the side of his head hard enough to knock him out. "Was that enough to erase some of his short-term memory? I hope so."

Meanwhile, Mikoto was just staring. He didn't think normal humans would be capable of that, but then again, the world's a vast place. He thought of her as a delicate lily, but perhaps she was in fact a white rose that was now bearing its thorns.

The redhead debated whether or not to head back to the bar or call the police to let them clean up the mess. He took a couple steps back the way he came when a shout of "Who's there?!" made him freeze.

He turned his head to see the woman glaring right at him. "How much did you see?" she snarled, not unlike a dog about to attack. "It looks like I'll need to erase your short-term memory of me as well."

She sprung at the red-haired man, displaying inhuman leg strength, and launched a roundhouse kick to his head, but Mikoto blocked it with one arm effortlessly. The girl's eyes widened.

'To be able to stop a mana-infused kick so easily, what in the world is he?! I'm not smelling blood from him, so he's not a skilled mage and I don't sense that he's a Servant either.' She had an encounter with Servant Lancer during the Fifth War in Fuyuki in 2004, so she knew what the power emanating from them feels like.

Mikoto grinned like a predator with its prey cornered. "You're pretty gutsy to take on a king."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean a king? You?"

"Yeah. You made the mistake of taking on the Red King. Lucky for you, I'm not a fan of beating on women. But," magenta flames engulfed the forearm he was blocking the kick with, "I'll burn them if they annoy me too much."

The woman pulled her leg back. But not due to any burning sensation. In truth, she felt none. She's awakened her Origin somewhat, which grants her mid-level Magic Resistance for now. But confusion was etched into her face. The fact she didn't feel those flames means it was magecraft. That attack looked like paltry magecraft. But again, he doesn't carry the scent of blood on him. He mostly smells like a wildfire. And he couldn't be a low-level mage either. If he was, there'd be absolutely no way he could just casually shrug off one of her kicks. "...What are you?"

Mikoto sighed. "You must not have been listening the first time. I said I'm the Red King. Now shoo before you get hurt."

She had heard a rumor in Shizume about the Red Monster who controls flames. Could this man be what the rumors were referring to? Honestly, she had written it off as some dumb mage that was going to have the Association's hit squad on their ass in no time. She even reported this rumor to them. The fact the Association hasn't killed him yet must mean there's something going on that she's not aware of.

She bit her bottom lip hard. If only she had set up a bounded field beforehand she could cast some spells. She should have know something like this would happen when the Association sent her here.

The redhead grinned again and the flames vanished. "I like you. You got guts to want to keep fighting me, a king, despite not being a king yourself. I'll let you go just this once."

Shock spread over the woman's face. "What?!" She turned her gaze back into a glare, blue eyes blazing. "Are you mocking me?!"

"I'm not. I don't want to turn such a strong-willed lady to a pile of ash. It'd be a waste. But I am curious as to what your name is."

"You shouldn't ask for the names of others without stating yours first."

He chuckled a little. "I see you still have some bark left. Normally, I don't take orders, but I don't think you'll back down easily. Fine, I'm Mikoto Suoh. Now tell me yours."

She put away all signs of hostility, but still looked to be on guard. "Akiko Hashimoto."

Mikoto turned around. "Maybe we'll see each other again, Hashimoto."

"Why? You planning on running into me again?"

Mikoto glanced over his shoulder back at her. "I'm the leader of a group called HOMRA. It's just three of us for now, but we're lookin' for new members. I think someone like you'd fit in well. Anyway, it's at the bar Homra. Think about my offer."

As he walked out of the playground, he pulled out his PDA and sent a group message to Izumo and Tatara.

The guys are taken care of. Head back to the bar.

Izumo was the first to reply. You have your PDA on you? That's a surprise.

Hardy har har.

Izumo: Sorry, I couldn't help it. But you took care of them? Good. Give me your location and I'll have the cops pick them up.

At the playground. But the one who took them out was a woman they were about to make a victim.

Tatara: On her own? Without help from you, King?

She isn't like most women, so I invited her to join us.

Izumo: Is she with you then?

No. I told her to think it over. Who knows if she'll try to join.

For as long as she could remember, Akiko was always awkward with meeting new people. As such, she didn't have friends.

Akiko originally lived in Fuyuki City. In the year 1994, when she was only seven years old, a massive fire went through and killed her parents when they tried to flee with her. The blaze burned down the house, leaving the little girl both an orphan and homeless. She had no living relatives who could take her in and no friends to turn to.

Fortunately, the Hashimotos were in good standing with the Mage's Association and Akiko had an Origin that grants her a skill normally only Servants would have, not to mention high-quality magic circuits despite being a third-generation mage. In exchange for her being in debt to the Association for the rest of her life, they would provide her with the money to get an apartment and anything else she requires to live until she turns 18. Feeling she had no other choice, she accepted the deal.

While she attended high school at Homurahara Academy, Akiko was often called anti-social. The only way for people to strike up a casual conversation with her was to approach and talk to her first. Even then, they wouldn't get a response right away as she would assume initially that they were talking to someone else. These were rare times as well, as the air she gave off made people want to avoid her.

She was simply living day-to-day, focusing only on school work, martial arts, and mage training. She usually kept her distance from others, not feeling confident enough to break the ice with them. Really, the only time she talked to people was to have a serious chat with them.

One night during the Fifth War, she was rushing home when she suddenly sensed someone with mana nearby.

"I know you're there," she said. "Come out already."

Silence at first, then a disembodied voice spoke up. "So you were able to sense me?" Blue mana revealed a blue-haired man with red eyes. He was wearing blue spandex with runic protections. "You must be a skilled mage."

Akiko took a fighting stance. "You must be a Servant!" This was bad. A Servant would curb-stomp her without breaking a sweat. She needed to get away somehow.

The man frowned and began walking to Akiko, who took a few steps back. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"And why should I believe that?!"

"First of all, I can sense you don't have a Servant. And since you don't, I'm not going to kill you. I'm not really into killing innocent people, much less women."

Akiko hesitantly lowered her fists, but kept her guard up. "How can I trust what you say?"

"My spear isn't out right now."

"A Servant can still easily kill a mere human without a weapon. You'll need to use something else to convince me."

"Do you sense any killing intent coming from me?"

He was right. Now that Akiko was trying to detect some, she realized she could feel absolutely none coming from this man. He really didn't intend to harm her.

"Judging by the fact you mentioned a spear, you must belong to the Lancer class."

"That's right. You probably already know this, but it'll get dangerous at night soon. Once the Saber Servant is summoned, the Holy Grail War will turn bloody. You're lucky the Servant you ran into happened to be me, but I don't know if the other six are the same, not to mention their Masters."

"But I can trust you?"

Lancer scratched the back of his head. "That depends. I personally won't attack you unless you make a move against me. But if for some reason my Master wants you dead, then I'll kill you. Well, we might see each other again, uh..."

"I'm Akiko Hashimoto."

"Right. Well, I'll see ya." With that, Lancer took a massive leap away and vanished from sight.

But later never came. 14 days later the Fifth Holy Grail War came to an end. Akiko doesn't know when it happened, but that means that Lancer is dead. The weird thing was, Akiko felt a little sad at this knowledge. She only talked to him for a short while, but she found she actually enjoyed it. He might have been able to help her come out of her shell. But he couldn't now and she continued to isolate herself from others.

When she was 18, she moved to London to study at the Clock Tower, the HQ for the Mage's Association. She focused only on her studies and would always be seen walking the halls alone.

She enjoyed video games and chatting with people online. She always found that easier since she wasn't talking to the person face-to-face.

It wasn't as if she was choosing to live her life like this. In truth, she wanted friends to talk to, hang out alongside, and share a laugh with. But whenever she tried to work up the courage to engage someone in a casual chat, she would begin to doubt herself. What if she comes off as irritating? What if she says the wrong thing and they hate her for it?

In the end, she went through her entire life up until this point without getting to know someone. She's attempted to get more involved by joining groups and clubs. She ended up quitting them all, not yet finding a place to belong.

At 20, the Mage's Association sent her here, back to Japan. All they asked her to do was monitor the mage-like beings known as Strains and to send back detailed reports on them. She's been here for nearly one month.

That Mikoto person gives off a similar feeling as her, that of an outcast. He's not quite the same as Servant Lancer, but something about him also seemed to pull her in. Maybe, like Lancer, it was because she could sense danger from him. And felt a strong desire to be part of it more than anything. That rush would make her feel truly alive.

Mikoto mentioned a group with two others. Perhaps they were also the same? Maybe they also felt a thrill in getting involved in dangerous things. Maybe HOMRA is the right place for her. She may finally find the place she belongs. Time will tell.

No one was in the bar except Izumo and Tatara, with Mikoto relaxing in the room upstairs. The front door swung open and a woman walked in.

"Hello? My name is Akiko Hashimoto. Is this where I can join HOMRA?"

Tatara got up from the couch he was sitting in. "Yes, but how do you know that?"

"Well, putting aside the bar's name is Homra, I was told by Mikoto Suoh that I can join here."

Izumo spoke up. "Ah, you must be the woman Mikoto mentioned a few days ago. Well, I'll take you to see him."

"And this'll bring our number to four," Tatara said.

"Only if she can pass the initiation," Izumo reminded him.

"What initiation?" Akiko asked. Was it going to be some kind of hazing?

A small smirk played on Izumo's lips. "You'll see." He led her upstairs and opened the door to another room. Lounging in a couch was the Red King, Mikoto Suoh.

"So you ended up wanting to join after all, Hashimoto." He held out a hand. "Just shake my hand and you're in."

Akiko took a few steps toward him, unable to believe it would be that easy. Was there some kind of catch? As if to answer her question, flames erupted from the hand Mikoto held out. 'A handshake with fire?'

Mikoto smirked when he saw surprise appear on Akiko's features. "What's wrong? Just shake my hand."

Akiko squared her jaw and firmly grabbed the fiery hand, believing in her own ability to overcome it. However, this time she felt heat travel up her arm to her whole body. Was it strong enough to break through her Magic Resistance? It shouldn't be, but this felt more like the forming of a contract than magecraft with the intention of harming. She grit her teeth, trying to withstand the burning. She should be strong enough to bear this pain.

After what felt like an eternity, the agonizing sensation suddenly went away. A brief feeling of being stung appeared in her left upper arm. She was wearing short sleeves, so it was a simple matter of glancing at it to see a red flame mark was on it.

Mikoto pulled his hand back. "You're a member of HOMRA now."

"Just out of curiosity, what would've happened if I failed?"

"You would've been burnt and you would've been outta here to get treated."

Akiko heard Izumo behind her chuckle. "I guess you have a good eye for spotting those who'll be able to get into HOMRA, Mikoto."

Mikoto just let out a grumble and looked away, embarrassed. "Shut up with that."

Izumo chucled again and spoke to Akiko. "A guy before you tried to join, but ended up getting burned. We don't let just anyone join, which is why they have to pass this test." He walked over to Akiko and held out a hand for a handshake. "The name's Izumo Kusanagi. And out there -"

Tatara burst into the room, startling both Izumo and Akiko just as Akiko was about to accept Izumo's hand. A giant grin was etched onto his face. "And I'm Tatara Totsuka! Congrats for passing, Hashimoto!"

Izumo grit his teeth, "Dammit, Totsuka! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Tatara giggled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, Kusanagi. But it looks like I was right about us getting a new member!"

"It was just a lucky guess," Izumo grumbled.

Akiko glanced at her mark again. "So why did this show up? It looks like a tatoo." Or a Command Seal, since it was also red.

"That shows you're a member of HOMRA. As a result, you get a piece of Mikoto's fire powers," Izumo explained.

"Both of you also have fire abilities?"

"Yes, but Totsuka can't fight like Mikoto and I can."

"Hashimoto," Mikoto broke in, silencing everyone. Akiko looked back at the man, seeing him staring right at her. "What was it that made you decide to join us?"

"King, she's already in," Tatara pointed out. "Whatever it is, it was good enough to be accepted."

"I want to know why my flames accepted her. We three have been friends for awhile, so I know the reasoning you two had. But I wanna know hers."

Akiko looked down, totally nervous and unsure of what to say. "I...Uh..."

Izumo placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"N-No! It's just that..." She trailed off.

"You don't want to talk about it?" Tatara guessed.

Akiko shyly nodded. "Yes...It's pretty personal..."

Mikoto let out a sigh. "If you don't wanna open up yet, fine. You probably will in time."

"Thank you, Suoh."

"Right. I should probably tell you that I prefer to be called by my given name."

"Right, um, Mikoto..."

"Gotta say, you weren't like this at the park."

"Well, that situation was a bit different. I wasn't exactly looking to make a good first impression."

Mikoto leaned back in the couch, resting his arms on the back of it. "Don't try to change the way you act. Just do what feels natural."

"I'll...I'll try..."

Tatara popped out in front of her. "Don't think too hard about it. In HOMRA, we're all family!"

That caused a small smile to appear on Akiko's face. "I see...Good."

Izumo heard her. "Hm? Is what Totsuka said a part of the reason you want to join?"

"Kinda," Akiko admitted.

Izumo rubbed the back of his neck. "You don't wanna add more to that?"

"I though it was decided that I could tell you about it when I feel like it."

"...You sure got some spark quickly."

"I'm sorry! Was that too rude?"

"I've gotta agree with Mikoto. I like you better when you don't act so stiff."

"So just act the way I always do?"

"Please."

Tatara laughed. "It seems that someone pretending to act like someone they aren't makes Kusanagi uncomfortable."

"Well, doesn't it make you uncomfortable too?!"

"It does. But I'm not the one freaking out here."

"I'm not freaking out!"

"You're getting a little loud," Akiko put in.

"That's the person I wanna hear from you!"