Chapter 1

I swept my bangs behind. Sweat was tingling on my forehead. My eyes never left the man. I steadied the blade, fingers coiled tightly on the hilt of the shinai (bamboo sword), preparing to attack. I charged. He swung his blade at me but was easily deflected. With a swift strike, on the head, he was knocked unconscious. That had earned gasped from the other gang members.

"Beat it," I said in a threatening tone.

"Don't get too cocky just yet. Wait until leader finds out he'll-

I had the bamboo sword slammed down onto his head. He blacked out almost instantly. The air went still.

"If you come back, I can't guarantee you'll survive. You got that…?!" I screeched as I picked up one of the leftovers by the collar. Fear consumed him. I could feel him trembling underneath my hold. Oh the irony, they came here looking for a fight and ended up being trashed single-handedly by a woman.

"Yes-yes, please spare me, Katsumata-

"It's trash like you that disgusts me. Leave."

With that, the three members picked up their unconscious comrades and left without a word. I let out a heavy sigh, watching their fleeting forms.

Why was there always trouble waiting for me? I know a girl like me shouldn't get involved with those Yakuzas or gangsters, but it was a one fight after another. They just keep coming to my training grounds incessantly. I trained in an abandoned basketball court alone. It was a hobby of mine; sword dancing. I've learned Kendo since I was little and by now, I could say I mastered this sport.

Recently, those Yakuzas have been pestering me to teach them Kendo. They were all low-lifes, all they do is create mayhem and pain to others. They have even resorted into violence when I refused their requests. How was I supposed to teach when I'm still going through High school? It was ridiculous, yet they still insist. They were persistent; each time they get trashed, they'll come back with more members in the future.

I untied my hair; those dark strands fell loose till my shoulders. It was tough work. Having to go for high school in the morning and training was exhausting. But if I don't practice every day, my skills will go downhill for sure and being the captain of the Kendo club of the famous Ashinaka High School didn't help much.

Cool air suddenly hit my face. That was when I realized that it was already dark. It would be dangerous for a girl to walk alone in these streets, especially at this time of the night, past midnight. But I was used to it. I was dead tired by now and could bet that I had eye bags by now. "Another restless night..." I murmured to myself as I sighed. Maybe I'm just overworking myself…

Or was it because of fear, that I'm doing all this?

HOMRA

Sensing a pulse against his thigh, Kusanagi whisked out his cell phone. A smile immediately spread across his face.

"I see her. She's just left the place…,"

"Follow her. Make sure she comes out unharmed." He ordered.

"Got it,"

His eyes then set on Anna. He gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry for making you stay up so late."

She said nothing at first. But not long later, she said, "A Blue Clansman..."

Kusanagi went still. That was clearly not a part of his plan.

"Watch out there's a-

"Yata took care of him already. We're going for the girl now."

Kusanagi sighed in relief. He can't let those guys get a hold of her before Homra does. If they do, all their plans would be foiled for sure.

"Thanks." He muttered and hung up.

Kusanagi slipped his phone back into his pocket. Now, returning back to polish his bar counter.

Anna shook her head for a moment. Kusanagi merely let out an innocent smile. But that very smile soon faded when Bandou barged in to the pub.

"Who is this girl anyway? Is she that important for the King to see her himself?" Bandou asked, all none too satisfied with the situation.

"You'll find out soon enough." Was his curt answer.

"Does it mean she'll be one of us if she passes the test?" Kakamoto then cut in. By the looks of it, he wasn't too fond of the idea either; but showed no signs opposing Mikoto's decision. Kusanagi could only suppress a frown.

Bandou slit his eyes in annoyance. "That's not the point. She's a WOMAN, right?!"

"Why are you complaining? You might like her in the end…" Kakamoto joked.

"Shut up. There is no way, Mikoto-sama is letting her join Homra. It must be something else...!"

There was silence until Kusanagi let out a sigh. "So…Is there a reason, why you're against this woman joining us?"

"Come on, I'm sure all of us don't need weaklings into Homra. She'll chicken out before-

"Mind what you're saying. She's much better than you think." Kusanagi said, in a way as if he was threatening him.

"How much better? She's just an eighteen year old!"

Kakamoto could only watch the heated argument between both of them. He had gone tired of Bandou's arguments, especially with Yata. At least this was something new to talk about. Honestly, this was quite exciting for him. Maybe she knows how to cook~~~

But all they could do now was wait.

"Just who are you?" I asked, my voice laced with poison. My eyes fixed on the one with a bat. Those men were dangerous, I could feel it.

"We're not here to fight. We just want you to come with us," Said the man with the hat.

"Hmph, they all say that…Tell me, what do you call yourselves?"

"Homra. We're HOMRA, under the Red King."

"Never heard of you." I replied tartly.

All of them exchanged glances.

I frowned. I didn't like this, not one bit. But I've been in worse situations. How this was any different, I wasn't sure. They didn't seem like Yakuzas. All of them were quite young and they didn't carry any weapons, besides the bat one of them had.

Maybe I could out run them…maybe the other two men, but not the one with the skateboard. Or should I just finish them off now? There was a glint in their eyes that told me that I couldn't refuse. My hand wrapped around the hilt my shinai. Of course it couldn't much damage since it couldn't cut, at all. But that was the only thing I could use. It was sturdy. I might be able to deflect some blows if they attack.

I drew the sword, giving them odd looks. "Isn't that…" The skateboarder's voice trailed off.

The one in the hat merely smirked. "It won't be a problem, its bamboo. Take her out, Yata-chan."

The third male remained silent all this while.

"A-Are you sure, I mean she's a-

"A woman? It's Mikoto's order. He'll be here any minute. So give him a good show."

My heart beat wildly against my ribcage. One against one? There was a forth male? This was bad. I should go back to my dorms as fast as possible. It might take me a ten minute sprint. I bet there's security at this time of the night. But I'd have to get past these men, somehow. The school is in the opposite direction…

I narrowed my eyes into slits; making it less obvious that I was actually looking for a place to escape. There was an abandoned warehouse, I could break in and escape through the back. There will be a shortcut waiting for me at the other side. But this was my life that I was betting…

I held my breath and immediately ran.

"5,4,3,2-

I even got a 5 second head start, bastards.

"…1,"

"Get her."

The wind hit my face, I was running a lot faster than I thought. Drenched in sweat, I shivered. But now was not the time to be worried about the cold. The skateboarder was hot on my tail. Just when he grabbed my sleeve, I spun around and smashed the hilt of the sword against his stomach. That had caught him off guard. My sleeve ripped. I fled, successfully crashing through the doors of the warehouse. Darkness enveloped me. I scrambled, hiding behind some of the large metal containers. I bent down clutching my heart, my breathing was unstable. There was a putrid scent here and I tried my best not to puke. I quieted my breathing, hopefully he couldn't find me. Just then, I swore I saw light. There was no doubt. I watched the light flicker, playing with the shadows. It might be a candle or a cigarette lighter. But there was one thing that I couldn't help but wonder. I was sure I saw a pink flame.

The light was moving; he was moving. My breath instantly hitched.

There…! He's coming from the right.

I moved away, slowly with careful steps. I distanced myself from the source of the pink flame. Soon I found myself close to the backdoor, I was about to make a run for it when-

"Found you." I heard him whisper into my ear. I stumbled backwards, stunned by his sudden appearance.

"A decoy…" I gasped.

"Damn right…!"

He swung the bat at me, but I blocked the attack in time. He exerted much pressure onto the sword, forcing me onto my knees. With a swift movement, I tripped his legs with a kick. I failed; he did not even lose his footing. Though he was a lean young man, he was much stronger than he looked.

"Too slow."

He caught my wrist and flipped me flat on my back. That was when I saw it, his hands, were on fire. The flames were that of neon pink; mesmerizing yet dangerous at the same time. I could feel the heat emitting from them. I couldn't pull away, my feet were as solid at rock. The whole place grew quiet; so quiet that I could hear my heart pounding….

What was he…?!

His hand wrapped around my throat; almost crushing it. But something was amiss. Those flames, they had died down and all that was left was white fumes vaporizing. A grunt left his lips. He was about to slam the bat down at me again, but the hit never made it.

Yata's POV

She fainted. If Mikoto had not stepped in, he was sure he could have killed her. He had overdone it a little. But something was strange about her. Though it was natural for a potential Homra member to withstand the flames, but his aura disappeared completely when he touched her. There weren't burnt marks on her neck either. When he released her, his flames returned. Mikoto must have noticed this for he had smirked. Even in the darkness, Yata could make out the King's facial features.

"Good work, Yata." He said, lighting his cigarette.

There were tons of questions clouding his head. Just an hour ago, he was called here without the slightest clue on what he was about to do. When he thought about it now, he might had been a little rough on her.

"Uh, Mikoto-san…Who exactly is she?" Yata asked, curious. Kusanagi and even Dewa had not mentioned anything to him; not even that the target was a girl. She seemed older or somewhere around his age. She had slightly tanned skin. Well, not as tanned as Kamamoto. While they were outside, he could easily tell she was strong, her battle stance had said it all. By the looks of it, she was practicing Kendo not too long ago. One thing's for sure, she is covered in sweat; not that he minded anyway. But nevertheless, he was captivated by her beauty. She had natural ash brown hair and aquamarine eyes (they must have been contacts), but it matched her perfectly.

Wait, what am I thinking…?! I shouldn't be bothered with these types of things…

Tsk…women….

…

…

…

Uncomfortable as he is, he glanced at Mikoto, waiting for an answer. His eyes couldn't help but fall on her form. Who is she, really? Could she be from another clan?

Mikoto merely chuckled, letting out a puff of smoke.

"She's you're new ally, Yata."