Okay, so here's chapter three of the story. Enjoy everyone, and thank you to all those who faved, followed, and reviewed! -gives virtual hugs and cookies to you all-

...It's late in my part of the world. Ignore the craziness.

Misaki hurriedly pushed himself up into a sitting position, backing away from the girl in front of him. His mind barely registered the name that'd come tumbling from Saruhiko's lips just moments earlier, but before he could say anything the girl was already on her feet again, tearing off down the alley toward the blue clansman.

Recovering from his shock, Saruhiko reached out and snatched the thin girl up off the ground and held her up by her waist before quickly backing her against the alley wall and moving so he obscured the majority of her small frame. She struggled against him at first, but when the shouting voices echoed around the alley again, she quickly stopped struggling upon realization of what he was doing. Just as her hands came up to grip at the front of Saruhiko's vest three men came sprinting around the sharp corner and into the small space.

Saruhiko mentally thanked whatever deity existed for giving Misaki enough brains to at least make himself scarce.

Shifting just enough so he could cast an irritated glare over his shoulder at the three men. "Do you mind?" He snapped at them, holding the girl's head to the crook of his neck and preventing them from seeing more than her dark hair.

"Yea, I bet you can." The burliest of them took a step toward Saruhiko. "You seen a skinny little bitch go through here? Got weird eyes?"

Saruhiko felt the girl's hands clutch tighter at his vest. "No. Now do you bastards mind?" The blue clansman snapped lowly. "We're busy here."

"Che, whatever asshole." He turned back to his two companions. "Come on, boss wants the little brat found." Without waiting for his compainions to reply, he broke out into a run and disappeared behind the alley corner, the other two darting hurriedly after him.

As soon as they were out of sight, the girl shoved Saruhiko away from her and turned to run off again only to have Misaki drop down in front of her from the half-obscured fire escape above their heads.

"Where are you going?" Misaki asked with a grin, thankful to be free of the embarrassing stutter for now. Taking a good look at the girl in front of him, Misaki could understand why Saruhiko had called her by their old friends name. His memory of Sora was blurred around the edges, but she definitely carried the same base appearance... The sudden realization left a bad taste in the vanguard's mouth. There was no way Sora was still alive, she'd have come and found them.. right?

"Away from here." She snapped back at him, breaking Misaki out of his small reverie. The girl spun around to run back into the network of alleyways, but Saruhiko was already there blocking her path and effectively blocking off any escape route she may have had. "Look creeps, I'm thankful for the help 'n all, but if you guys want anythin' more you're outta luck."

The similarities were beginning to pile up in Saruhiko's head to uncomfortable levels. Even the dialect is the same, thick and obvious just like Kusanagi-san's.. "Who are you?" Saruhiko had tried to ask the question calmly, but his voice sounded sketchy even to his own ears. He needed to know though, he needed her to tell him that she wasn't who he thought she was. Anything.. Just say anything but that name.

"E-Excuse me?" She was obviously taken aback by the question, if the way the corners of her lips curled down into a from was any clue.

"Who are you?" Saruhiko asked again, taking a step toward her. He could tell from the way Misaki's expression changed that his voice had cracked, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

He needed her to answer him.

She hesitated at first, glancing off to the side as her teeth found her bottom lip. "...I-Iyou Kanae." She finally replied when Saruhiko was about to voice his question a third time, voice quiet and a little bit unsure; as though she was trying out the syllables for the first time.

Saruhiko wasn't particularly convinced, but when he noticed the quiet, relieved sigh that slipped past Misaki's lips the blue found himself relenting and taking a step back. If Misaki was fine with it he would be too, for now at least. Her tense shoulders relaxed somewhat, but the eyes that met his remained guarded and distant. "Ah, is that so? Then tell me Kanae-san," he rolled the syllables of her name in the same mocking manner as he did Misaki's, "Why were they after you?"

Grey-blue eyes narrowed up at him. "I..." Kanae shuffled a step or two back, almost close enough to Misaki now that her back nearly touched the vanguard's chest. And being the single-celled idiot he always was, he must have believed her claim and that was why his cheeks were now flushing a deep crimson." 'm not sure. Guys like that, they got lots 'a reasons to chase girls around." She inched back a bit more. "Can I go now?" Saruhiko almost said no when he saw the blush on Misaki's cheeks darken, but when he apparently got over his embarrassment just enough to shoot a pointed look over at Saruhiko the blue clicked his tongue in annoyance but nodded anyway. "Go."

Kanae, not willing to wait just in case the boys decided to change their minds, took off again, turning back into the network of alleyways and ducking out of sight.

Barely a moment after she disappeared, Misaki slumped back against the akkey wall with a sigh. "She looked a lot like her, didn't she..?" The tone of his voice, for once filled with something akin to longing instead of its usual hatred when regarding the traitor drew Saruhiko's attention back to him immediately. "...I almost thought..."

"Single-celled idiot." Saruhiko muttered along with a click of his tongue, turning away from Misaki and heading back toward the mouth of the alley. Tch, of course Misaki remembers her... A small voice in the back of Saruhiko's mind said bitterly. He remembers everyone else but me... His fits clenched tight enough for his nails to bite into his palms, hidden inside the pockets of his uniform jacket but Saruhiko forces down the bitter jealousy gnawing at the pit of his stomach when Misaki falls into step with him, various curses spewing from his lips that Saruhiko admittedly doesn't bother listening to.

Neither of the boys noticed the shaggy head of dark hair peeking around the corner of the alley, grey-blue eyes shadowed with guilt as she watches the two of them walk away without looking back.

The rest of their search for the day was uneventful for the most part, but at least now Saruhiko had a somewhat decent mental map of the winding streets. At fir st, Saruhiko hadn't planned on staying at the bar for the duration of his assignment, but apparently Vice-Captain Awashima had other plans for him. With the reasoning that allowing Saruhiko to stay in the comfort of his own apartment would end up with him slacking far too much for the Vice-Captain's liking on the task at hand, Awashima had pulled a few strings and taken off for the day to visit Kusanagi-san at his bar and leave him with some instructions and a few items for Saruhiko's extended visit.

Which is why the blue was now perched unhappily on one of Kusanagi-san's bar stools, trying to drown out the noise from the other HOMRA members. Saruhiko's tongue clicked sharply in annoyance, that damn woman wasn't getting anymore paperwork out of him for at least a month after pulling this. And what made his mood all the worse was that Misaki, who had stayed instep with him, and even talked to him without their conversation dissolving into flying fists and angry shouts, had left his side nearly upon entry into the bar. Left with nothing better to do, Saruhiko decided to take up his old spot at the end of the bar counter. Nobody commented on the blue's return and subsequent housing thanks to a few pointed looks from Kusanagi-san, who then came over to him and set a tray of rice, miso, and grilled fish down in front of him before walking off to clean his wine glasses some more.

Saruhiko eyed the food warily for a few minutes, but soon enough his rumbling stomach made up his mind for him and after mumbling a small "thanks for the meal," he dug into his dinner. It may not have been something as well-made as something from headquarters, but Saruhiko found himself enjoying the small meal all the same. The sound of Misaki's voice filtering over the din of the bar was more than enough to make his night just that little bit more bearable.

"Oi Saru, when are we going out to search tomorrow?" Misaki's voice called over to him, harsh and impatient as always.

He almost missed the vanguard's question at first, but an even more impatient shout of his name had his reply coming out before he'd even had much of a chance to think about it. "Whenever you manage to drag your ass out of bed, Mi-sa-ki~"

Misaki's right eye twitched at the annoying drawl. "Che. Just watch, I'll be the one dragging your lazy ass outta bed, just like always!" He snapped back almost immediately, unintentionally speaking as if they hadn't been apart for so long. Colour rose to Misaki's cheeks when he realized just what he'd said, but surprisingly enough, Saruhiko didn't have the heart to tease the boy right now.

If anyone ever asked him why he didn't tease the red earlier, he'd simply shrug it off and say he hadn't felt like it, but in reality Saruhiko foudn the taunts dying in the back of his throat, burried under all of the memories and emotions that were steadily welling up inside of him. It felt nice, to be talked to like he was before he and Misaki joined HOMRA. Saruhiko had even noticed that the infuriating traitor addition had been left out when Misaki called for him just now. He knew he should put a stop to it now, so that way things wouldn't become steady and dull and Saruhiko would fade into the back of Misaki's thoughts again, but when Misaki actually took a seat near him at the bar, Saruhiko couldn't bring himself to care much at the moment.

He crashed on the bar's couch that night, stretched out under a blanket he assumed Kusanagi-san had draped over him before the bar-tender finally wandered off to bed himself. In the morning Saruhiko wouldn't remember that it was the small vanguard that his tired eyes saw pulling the blanket up to rest around his shoulders long after Kusanagi wandered off to bed.