In the weeks following, they grew accustomed to the workout. After a few months, the physical lessons became less and less mentally taxing, while the magical ones steadily grew more so. Like Tatara had predicted, the Gold King didn't give them enough time to themselves to think about how Izumo and Mikoto were doing; they had academic lessons from 8am to 3pm with a few breaks in between, followed by an hour rest before the physical and magical lessons with the rest of HOMRA began.

By the time Chitose's birthday came along, all six of them were at least slightly capable of protecting themselves and others if need be, if they weren't completely overwhelmed. They'd been relieved on that day, realizing there hadn't been a call from the British school requesting aid yet. At the same time, they were worried. Kamamoto, Chitose, Dewa, and Fujishima had all had their flames slip out more than once since December. None of them were as strong as Izumo or Mikoto, so maybe it just meant they never got caught after burning things.

With the magic that Daikaku had been teaching them about, it's possible the teachers and other students just thought it was a spell gone wrong. The letters the older two boys had sent hadn't said anything either way about that.

While both Tatara and Anna would have liked a reason to go and see their friends, if they were seeing them for that, it wouldn't be fun at all.

For all that Chitose talked about his birthday ever since Kamamoto's a few weeks before, he didn't want to do anything special with HOMRA on the day itself. When Tatara asked, he explained, "Mikoto-san and Kusanagi-san are coming back in a week or so, right? Don't waste all the stuff on me and have nothing for them. We can have a welcome back party and something for my birthday at the same time."

Dewa snorted, hiding a smile. "First reasonable thing you've said in a while."

"Eh? You want to say that again?" Chitose turned to his friend, one hand in a fist and the other reaching toward Dewa's shirt.

The two really looked about to fight (albeit somewhat playfully as those two always did), but then Tatara started laughing. Within moments, the room was full of everyone's laughter but Anna's. She was amused but still quiet. They could tell though, and that was enough. Back when she'd joined, they hadn't been able to.

Now they could, and it was enough. Maybe Mikoto and Izumo wouldn't – but Mikoto and Anna are linked, and Izumo is observant. Bandou, Yata, and Saruhiko couldn't tell yet, but Tatara doubted it'd stay that way for long. Mikoto had agreed to see about them sometime after he came back.

He didn't think there'd be a problem. If there was, they could always work it out together, right?

Anna tugged on his sleeve, and he knelt obediently, tilting his head. He'd found it easier to kneel instead of just tilting his head months ago. "What is it, Anna?"

"Less than two weeks now?" It was easy to miss, but her inflection made it a question rather than a statement.

He ruffled her hair, smiling. "Less than two weeks now. Do you want to help me cook on that day?"

She nodded again. He always made his dishes red, and it was fun. A lot of fun.

The remaining days passed quickly, even with the clan counting the days. The return, they decided, would only be them. Those three could wait a little longer. Mikoto wasn't their King yet.

Not knowing when exactly they would return, Tatara and Anna had been in the kitchen cooking when they heard the others get to their feet and say, "Yo!"

Tatara stuck his head out of the kitchen with a bright smile, keeping a hand on the sliding door to hold it open. "Welcome home, King, Kusanagi-san!"

Izumo smiled back, but Mikoto just grunted. It was enough, but a moment later Mikoto asked, "What're you wearing?"

Tatara blinked and looked down. "An apron. I should get back to cooking." He vanished.

Everything was quiet for a moment, before Izumo muttered, "We're home." Mikoto grunted again and sunk into the couch, letting out an almost silent sigh of relief. The couch started to smoke a little, more than it ever had for the others. "Ah, Mikoto-" Izumo pointed.

Mikoto growled, stood up, and walked over to their bags, pulling what had to be a wand out. With a rather lazy motion and barked words everyone but Izumo didn't understand, it stopped smoking. With a glare for Izumo, he sat back down, keeping the wand out. "Better?"

It didn't start to smoke again, so Izumo nodded. "A frilly red apron, really…?" he muttered, looking toward the kitchen.

Tatara stuck his head out of the kitchen again, looking at Mikoto and Izumo first before finding the person he was going to ask. "Chitose, can you come here for a moment? We need a little help."

The boy had been about to mess with Dewa again, but he nodded and walked to the kitchen. "What is it, Totsuka-san?"

They all call him that, for all he's closer to their age than Izumo's. He's only a few months older than Chitose himself, though he hadn't told them about his birthday yet. He'd do that later. He didn't repeat his request to just call him Tatara though, smiling instead. "Can you hold the door for us?"

He blinked. "Totsuka-san…it's a sliding door."

"Aah, but it's broken or something. If you let it go, it shuts!" He let go to demonstrate, and Chitose grabbed the edge to stop it and check to see that Tatara wasn't lying. He wasn't, so he sighed and pushed the door open for Anna, Tatara, and the food. "Thank you, Chitose."

"Thank you, You," Anna looked up at him for a moment, then back at her dish of spaghetti with meat and tomato sauce. They'd made three dishes, so they took two trips; both carrying food the first time, Anna carrying food and Tatara the plates, bowls, and chopsticks the second.

Setting down his burden, Tatara smiled at Chitose again. "Just a little longer. I need to grab the rice."

"Totsuka-san, I can get it," Dewa was already standing and walking toward them, though he gave Chitose a slightly wary look.

"Ah, you don't need to, I can get it."

Dewa shook his head. "You've done a lot already. Let me help, Totsuka-san."

He rubbed the back of his head. "Alright then." He told Dewa where the rice cooker was while untying his apron. By the time Dewa exited the kitchen with the rice, the red apron with all its frills was folded neatly and set aside. With another bright smile, this one a little different than the last, Tatara rested a hand briefly on Dewa's shoulder. "Thanks for the help. I really do appreciate it."

Still holding the rice, Dewa flushed. "It's nothing, Totsuka-san."

His smile didn't falter, "I mean it."

Chitose coughed, "I can, ah, let the door close now, right?"

"Yep!" Tatara turned the smile to him. "Thank you, Chitose."

Letting the door close, Chitose rubbed the back of his head. "Like Dewa said, it was nothing Totsuka-san."

"Still, thanks, both of you."

Neither of them could find anything to say to that so Dewa placed the rice next to everything else as Kamamoto yelled, "Food time!"

After a minute or so, all eight of them were sitting around a long table. Izumo, Tatara, Mikoto, and Anna sat on one side, Fujishima, Kamamoto, Dewa, and Chitose on the other.

As a group, they muttered, "Thanks for the food" and started passing the dishes around. After one of them spilled, they just passed their plates and bowls to Tatara and he filled it as much as the person wanted of each dish.

When he reached for Izumo's plate, the older boy shook his head. "I can do it, Totsuka."

"Ah, okay." He passed the dishes down the table a little, just enough that Izumo wouldn't have to lean toward Tatara close enough to be even slightly uncomfortable for the older boy. "Don't take too much."

Izumo smiled at him. "I won't." True to his word, he gave himself roughly the same amount that Tatara had given the others. They'd been the last two to get served, so Tatara only had to serve himself to begin eating.

Just when he was about to take his first bite, Mikoto growled next to him. Setting down his chopsticks with a quiet sigh, he asked, "What is it, King?"

The clatter of the others eating went quiet, everyone listening for his answer. With a grumbled curse, he lifted the chopsticks. "Where're the forks and spoons?"

Tatara blinked. King is having trouble with chopsticks? He supposed the dishes he'd made today weren't the easiest to eat with chopsticks, but he still laughed, standing up and propping a hand on one hip. "I'll show you. Anyone else want some?" Everyone raised their hands, and he laughed again, earning a hit to the head from Mikoto. "Owwwwww." Rubbing his head, he pouted at him. "What was that for?"

Mikoto just grunted again, keeping his eyes on his friend.

"Fine, fine. No one needs a knife, right?" He looked around to double check.

Mikoto growled, standing. "Show me the forks and spoons already. I'm hungry."

Tatara smiled up at him and did as his King demanded.

For the next couple of days, they just spent time with each other, sharing stories about what happened while they were apart. It was just after a story they'd shared about an "adventure" with the three boys who wanted to join HOMRA that Mikoto stood up with a sigh, Anna grabbing his hand as soon as she could.

"King?" Tatara tilted his head.

He shifted his feet, almost like an avoiding child, and muttered, "They want to become clansmen right?" Looking into each of his clansmen's eyes, he continued, "You all seem to think they'd work out as members. Let's see."

Izumo blinked, getting to his own feet. "Are you sure about this, Mikoto?"

He shot Izumo a look and shrugged. "They sound okay." He barks a dry laugh, "Doesn't matter what I think as long as the power accepts them though, right?"

"I guess…" Chitose muttered. "Mikoto-san, should I call them then?" He jerked his head toward the corner of the room.

He nodded, so off Chitose went.

He came back after a couple minutes, smiling. "I told them to go to the bar. Shall we go now?"

"Uhn, let's go!" With a bright smile, Tatara helped Dewa and Fujishima to their feet, offering a hand to Kamamoto once they were up. He ruffled Anna's hair as he took his place on her other side, meeting her eyes. "Let's go see if we'll have more brothers!"

Izumo raised an eyebrow, looking down to Totsuka beside him, "Brothers?"

Tatara nodded, grabbing Anna and Izumo's hands and looking ahead. "Yep, brothers! Since HOMRA's the only family we have, that's what we are, right?" He swung their hands happily.

Chitose and Dewa exchanged a glance behind them, Chitose scuffing a foot on the ground and Dewa rubbing the back of his head. "We've got more of our families, but…we kinda are like Anna's brothers, aren't we?" Dewa asked, slowly.

Chitose nodded, crossing his arms with a grin. "So let's go see if our little princess has a few more knights to guard her," he said, winking at the girl.

Anna puffed out her cheeks, looking away from them. Tatara wasn't sure if he was imagining the slight tint of red on her cheeks or not. "Brothers. Not knights."

Tatara laughed, walking forward while still holding their hands. "Let's actually go see these new brothers then, and stop talking about it. We'll have plenty of time to discuss exactly what we are to each other later, right?"

Standing in the door way, Mikoto grunted. He looked over at them with his dark eyes and jerked his head out the door. "C'mon already."

"Coming!" With another laugh and a head jerk of his own, Tatara herded the rest of their small clan out of the Gold King's Tower, still holding Izumo and Anna's hands.

It took them a little while to reach the bar, currently run by a Rabbit. Izumo whistled lowly as soon as they entered. "I like what he did with the place," he explained when Fujishima tilted his head. "Looks better than I remember it looking in years."

"Kusanagi-san!" Tatara let go of their hands and planted his hands on his hips, staring up into the older boy's face. "How long have you been helping out your uncle here? You've only just turned 16!"

He scratched the back of his head, looking away. "About that…" he trailed off, looking around the bar some more. "Weren't those three supposed to be here?"

"Kusanagi-san, we're closer than they are. They probably have to walk too so let's wait, okay?" Tatara closed his eyes and smiled, sitting on the ground.

Kamamoto yawned, sitting on a couch, "Can I eat something while we wait?"

"Eh, you're hungry again?" Chitose frowned, looking over at him.

"Yeah, my appetite's decreasing though…" Kamamoto frowned, patting his stomach. He was already far smaller than he was the last time Izumo and Mikoto saw him, but that didn't really matter.

"Are you going to be okay? I don't think it's normal for your appetite to change that much…" Dewa frowned, slinging his arms over the back of the couch next to Kamamoto.

Pulling a granola bar out from inside his hoodie pocket, Kamamoto shrugged. "It's always been like this," he said, opening it as carefully as he could. Crumbs still flew everywhere. "I always lose my appetite in the summer. It's nothing to worry about."

Fujishima nodded. "If you're sure."

They spent a couple minutes like that, Kamamoto eating and everyone else either sitting or inspecting the bar quietly. Occasionally Izumo would inhale sharply, but he waved off all of the questioning looks Tatara shot him. After a couple of times, he just shrugged and figured the bar had some scratch or something on it.

Chitose was opening his mouth to say something – probably something about being bored, Dewa thought – when the door opened and three boys walked in.

"Ah, Mikoto-san!" Immediately after entering the bar with his friend, Saruhiko was practically forgotten as Yata bounded over to Mikoto. Bandou just stood back, clearly unsure as to what to do now. Sure, he'd wanted to join, but…what if it didn't accept him? He isn't amazing like his friend. What if the aura saw the same thing that his brothers and parents did in him? Nothing. He wasn't the best at anything, so why would (why should) it ever say he was worthy? He was just stubborn and petty.

Those aren't things people are often proud of. Sure, he's heard tenacity praised before but…not all the time. He didn't get the chance to think himself into even bigger knots.

Instead, Tatara got up and slung an arm around his shoulders. Smiling at Saruhiko and Yata, he said, "I think it's better just to get it over with, honestly. We can all talk afterward."

Sometimes Chitose wonders if Tatara's face ever hurts from smiling so much. This is one of those times.

"R-right." Yata gulped, still close to Mikoto. "I guess I'll go first. How do I…?"

Saruhiko snickered, smiling at his friend. "You spent all that time talking with me about this, but you never figured out how it would happen? Misaki…I thought you were smarter than that." He sighed dramatically, shrugging with his hands up.

Yata whirled, eyes hot. "Don't call me that, Saru. And shut up! I didn't know."

Tatara removed his arm from Bandou's shoulders and placed a hand gently on Saruhiko's. "It'll be fine, honest. He'll figure it out," he whispered.

Saruhiko gave him a look and snorted, crossing his arms and looking away, but true enough, Yata figured it out.

The outstretched hand might've helped things a little. Seeing that hand start to glow with the very same glow he'd once held his hand out over, he gulped. That aura was hot. Would he get burned by this…?

"Is something wrong, Yata?" Tatara asked, still keeping that slight pressure on Saruhiko's shoulder.

Mikoto smiled slightly, still holding out that glowing hand. "If you want to join us, then shake hands with me."

That was all it took. Yata steeled his heart and shook Mikoto's hand. "Huh…?" It wasn't hot. He stared disbelieving at his hand, still holding onto Mikoto's glowing one. As soon as it stopped glowing, he pressed his hand right over his heart, pulling down his shirt to examine his new mark. "It…didn't hurt." He blinked at his hand and then up at Saruhiko, before beaming and hugging the slightly younger boy. "I did it! You go next."

He didn't seem to see the slight frown on Saruhiko's face, but then, Chitose wasn't even really sure he saw it.

With a soft 'tch', the boy almost defiantly clasped Mikoto's flaming hand. As soon as he did, the breath left his lungs in a harsh exhale. It almost sounded like a hiss.

Bandou just stood there, his thoughts returning while he waited for the flames to disappear like they had for Yata. It took longer this time.

As soon as they did though, Saruhiko stumbled backward, fumbling the collar of his shirt. It took a moment for him to successfully pull it down, but, when he did, the Homra symbol lay there, glowing faintly.

Tatara blinked, a smile slowly stretching across his face as he looked between Saruhiko and Yata before he simply beamed. "Yata and Saru-kun have their marks in the same place!" He clapped when he finished speaking, looking all too happy to Saruhiko.

Yata blinked at the same time that Saruhiko made that 'tch' noise again. "Is that uncommon for best friends?" Yata asked, tilting his head.

There was something about the way he said best friends so easily that made Saruhiko happy. Maybe it was how he didn't even hesitate, even after how he fawned over Mikoto.

"Yep! Now, it's Bandou's turn now, right?" Turning to the dark haired boy, he changed his smile, making it softer. Resting a hand on the nervous boy's shoulder, he said, "It's fine, it's fine! It'll work out in the end."

Even with those ever present sunglasses, the look of shock and gratitude was clear as day to Tatara. He gave him a light push on the back, urging him to go and grab the hand that would, most likely, change his life forever.

The boy looked at the outstretched hand, glad for his sunglasses. No one could see the way his eyes had widened in fear, or the way he looked away from Mikoto's face instead of meeting his eyes as he gulped and reached forward. This was it. He could finally be better at something than Shouhei. He just had to take the fiery hand.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and grabbed that hand, waiting for it to burn him. There was no way he'd actually be better at something than Shouhei after all. He'd never be considered worthy by this.

After what felt like a minute, he opened his eyes, blinking a couple of times. It…hadn't hurt. And now his stomach felt really warm. He pulled up his shirt to see why and gasped.

It was there. The mark of Homra was on his navel. Chitose walked over and slung an arm over his shoulder, grinning into his face. He blinked at him, but Kamamoto had done the same thing to both Yata and Saruhiko, so he figured it was just what they did when someone joined.

"Looks like we have three new brothers, Anna!" He ruffled the girl's hair around her ribbon and bow, and a hint of a smile crossed her face.

"Yes."

Even Saruhiko didn't look unhappy seeing her like that; he smiled just like all the others.

Izumo sighed lightly, watching all his fellow clansmen. "Now, who wants to go back to the Gold King's Tower?" Three different faces turned toward him with various expressions on them. He just smiled at them. "Not all of us have parents, remember."