[IC] K: Misconceptions

[Kitty]

Rin looked up at her king with big eyes and nodded as he turned around. She hopped down from the stool and dried her hands off. She then hurried off to catch up with her King and Second-in-Command. Before heading to the door though, she picked up her umbrella. Rin then walked to the door which a member of the clan was holding open for her. "Thank you Toshi-San" Rin said politely as she opened her umbrella and held it over her with a single hand gripping it.

Rin looked around at the big city and took in the crowds of people walking by. She jumped back as a large crowd passed by the front of the bar almost taking her with them. Rin backed away and then turned towards where her king had come through the door and joined her outside. She gently gripped his big hand in hers with the hand that was not holding the umbrella. She stood at 4'5" thus making her reach the bottom of his chest/ top of his abdomen. Rin looked up at him from under the shade from her umbrella, "where is the king taking us to eat?" She asked in her gentle, delicate voice of hers. Looking at him expectantly and waiting for his answer.

[Solace]

By the time that the chanting began to die out, Shu was already directing the clansmen into their respective duties and pasttimes for the day. Fortunately, Saito was spared the boredom, and was granted the divine privilege to accompany his best friend for the day. He was to go out and get some grub to eat with the man and the little girl for the day, though one thing bothered him about the entire task...

"I hope you're not expecting me to pay for anything," Saito laughed nervously as he followed Shu through the entrance of the bar, briefly turning to the young teenager who held the door open for them. "If anything happens while we're gone, I want you to beat the hell out of whatever's the threat. Otherwise, call me..." his head snapped away from the boy as he saw his two companions already across the street, running towards them with his hand motioning ahead of him. "Yo, Shu! Wait up!"

When Saito finally caught up to the two of them, he flipped his hood back over his head and pocketed his hands. "Anyway, I'm thinkin' we should hit up a café or something. Go balls deep on caffeine," he said almost too fast. "So I don't fall asleep when I go on patrol again. You feel me?"

For some apparent reason, Saito felt extremely uncomfortable; it was every single time that he was underneath Rin's umbrella. It was the main reason as to why he simply stood to the side and forced himself to walk along from a distance. It was as if he suffered from some sort of umbrellaphobia... either that, or there was something in those juice pouches.

"So, uh..." Saito spoke awkwardly. "Where to, Shu?"

[SouloftheAbyss]

Matsura Tsuji

"I do," Matsura replied. He reached for a plate of chocolate chip cookies before him on the coffee table. Taking one for himself, he offered the plate to Tadashi. He set to plate down afterwards.

"Since the others should be arriving soon, I will reveal the plan when..." His sentence was caught short at the sound of the doorbell.

"And here they are now," Matsura noted as he turned towards the entrance, "And here they are now. Shizu, will you open the door?" Shizu was quick to follow his orders. Rising from the couch, Matsura greeted the incoming crowd.

The clan was small, eighteen members in total. This did not matter to Matsura. What mattered to him are the people who comprised the clan: hackers, previous police officers, electricians and subway worker to name a few. They all filled in one by one, young and old. Each one of them possessed to things in Matsura's mind. The first was potential. Why would he ver construct a team that would never amount to anything? He needed minds, brilliant minds to work under his command. Second, they all shared a common backstory. Sometime in their life, they all had come face to face will the cruel truth of reality. Everyone in this room had been forced to have the short end of the stick, whether with their family, a job, or their love life. None of them had been given a chance to control their lives until now. Today, they stood before him wanting to correct the wrongs in their lives and Matsura was here to lead them. This was the purpose of JUNGLE. This was the reason he had choosen them. This was their time for revenge.

Once the group was settled down, Matsura went in front of the bare wall the address them. The image from the projector overlapped across his body.

"Our goal today is the achieve full, 24-hour surveillance of the HOMURA headquarters," he thundered, "To do this, we must plant my five micro bugs around the interior of the bar. We will follow my plan to create a diversion for Reds to prevent us from getting caught." He paused for a moment to let his words sink in.

"One group will begin by cutting off the power to the bar and the traffic lights above the the nearby intersections via the power outlets in the subway. The Reds will leave the bar and flock to the surround traffic collisions. Tadashi, you and your team will construct a few pipe bombs to set off at the intersections as well. You will detonate these soon after the power is shut-off and before the Reds arrive. Not only will this put the guilt on HOMURA with the presence of both their members and flames at the scenes, but it will also buy us more time. Make sure you are noticeable by the Reds when you set them off, That way you can lead them in a chase further away from the bar. As this is happening, Shizu will lead a team of elite members inside the bar, through the back wall, to plant the bugs. I will provide those few with some night visions googles. Once the bugs are placed and activated, the first team will reconnect the power and all teams will clear out." He paused to take a bite of the cookie in his hand. The group began to talk amongst themselves in whispers as he did. Swallowing, Matsura regained their attention with a loud cough.

"The plan will commence in one hour. I will be overseeing everything from here. If you have any questions, ask them now. If you don't, let's begin our preparations."

[peachpenguin]

Tadashi Sakurai

Tadashi munched on one of the chocolate chip cookies as the other members came in. He rather liked most of them. They were all interesting and Tadashi had probably had at least one conversation with all of them. He figured it wasn't like that in other clans. Well, maybe the red clan was kind of like that, but from what he'd seen of the Blues (and vaguely heard about of the golds) they were all uniforms and strict rules and that did not sound fun at all. (He could appreciate a uniform though, because some of the blue clan looked very good in them.) Pipe bombs and chocolate chip cookies, on the other hand, were fantastic, so it was probably for the best that Tadashi was involved with JUNGLE.

He listened to Matsura's plan attentively. It didn't sound too complicated, and while he could probably throw in a few 'what if's, Tadashi trusted that Matsura had thought about all of that. They'd dealt with the reds enough before to know how they acted. He wasn't necessarily a fan of setting off bombs in the middle of a busy intersection, but if that was what he was supposed to do, he would do it. Still, there was something telling Tadashi that maybe it wasn't a good idea to set up explosives where there could be innocent bystanders. He shook his head. Everything would be okay. None of their plans had gone horribly wrong yet, so why would this one? He told himself to stop worrying about it so much.

I should just get to work. That'll take my mind off of it. That was exactly what Tadashi did. After saying goodbye to the other teams, Tadashi took the people that had been assigned to work with him down to the garage. "Okay, so we've done stuff like this before. I need a few of you to stay here and help me build these pipe bombs. But I also need people to go out and buy some back packs or something that we can put these in so that people won't notice right away that they are in fact, well, you know, pipe bombs."

With that, everyone got to work. They were on a limited time schedule and, while the bombs weren't particularly challenging to build, it was a very delicate process. One wrong move and this entire place could go up in smoke. Wanting to lock the rest of the world and his worries out, Tadashi focused solely on building the bombs. His hands worked on autopilot, happy to be doing something. It was the best stress reliever he could think of.

---

Mikami Kumini

She seemed to be lightening up a little bit, or, at least, she was less nervous than before. In that Mikami found a little bit of relief. While he did occasionally enjoy the perks of his subordinates being scared of him, it wasn't his goal. Trust between members of the clan was important, and when someone is scared of a person they don't usually trust them. On top of that, he'd heard that she was a nice enough person from some of the older members that were more comfortable around him.

"How I feel about the current issues involving HOMRA?" He thought about it for a moment. How did he feel about HOMRA? He didn't really know any of them, so he couldn't guess any of their intentions. He had gone over some data from the past, from before he'd became king and the early years of his job as the leader of Scepter 4 and noticed one thing. HOMRA had become more and more violent as time went on. Something about that didn't feel quite right. Before, they liked to take justice into their own hands, but there was usually some kind of reason to their actions. More recently though, something was a miss. They were acting out for what appeared to be no reason. It didn't quite fit. Without actual proof though, Mikami would never be able to change the minds of almost every other person involved with the Kings and their clans.

"I think that we should continue to monitor them as we always have, but I also feel like there's something under the surface that we're not seeing. I don't believe the people at HOMRA are bad people and that they usual act within reason, even if it is a very skewed type of reasoning."

He didn't say anything else on the subject, mostly because he wasn't entirely sure what to do with the thoughts themselves. He didn't have much spare time on his hands to investigate why HOMRA was acting the way it had been lately.

"Anyways, if you don't mind I know a nice cafe not too far from here. You can come join me for something to eat if you wish."

[TwilightDragon]

She was glad that he was making conversation. If he had outright ignored her, she wouldn’t know what to do. Cho listened to what Mikami said about the whole situation with HOMRA; he stated that they would continue to monitor them like they always had, but he also said that he didn’t think that they knew the whole story. Even though she had only been in SCEPTER 4 for a short while, she thought it was strange that HOMRA was acting the way they did. They only seemed to get more and more violent as time went on, but they had no idea why. I wonder what’s going through their heads. she thought, keeping up with Mikami as they walked down the street.

Cho perked up at the mention of going to a café. She would finally get something in her empty stomach… ”Sure~” she said happily, a giant smile plastered onto her face as she looked up at the Blue King. ”I was planning on getting a bite to eat later. But I don’t think I can last any longer with an empty stomach…”

She hadn’t expected Mikami to invite her to eat with him. He probably had much better things to do than eat with such a green member of the Blue Clan. Yet, Cho was happy at the thought of eating something, especially since she would have someone to talk to for a little while. The gray-haired woman retained her grin as she continued to walk with him. ”The weather sure has been nice recently, hasn’t it?” she questioned him, looking much happier than she had been just a while before. She felt light-footed and happy, and it was obvious that she wasn’t as stressed as she had been before. Her eyes flicked back up to him as she continued to speak. ”It rained so much a few weeks back. I caught a cold since I was caught in a heavy rain shower. But now I’m feeling better.”

Many people said that Cho would talk one’s ears off if they didn’t try to shut her up. However, Cho thought that was an over exaggeration. The reason that she liked to make conversation was because she despised awkward silences. They made her feel uncomfortable, so why shouldn’t she talk to calm herself down? ”How have you been, Mikami? Have you been getting enough rest?” To her, the Blue King looked a little tired, but then again, it could have been her imagination.

[Kitty]

Rin walked besides her two older brother like figures quietly thinking over things, basic things a girl like her would think about. For example the last time she witnessed her clansmen get in a fight for no reason in the bar. She remembered sitting on a couch and watching them play a racing video game. The two clansmen were getting into the game a bit too much. When the race ended the loser tackled the winner and they began to fight for no good reason. They almost rolled into the couch she was sitting but before the impact she was lifted up gently and set down out of harms way as they hit the exact spot she had been sitting. That was a few months ago but it was one of her only memories. Everything from a year ago and back was a blur except for memories of being punished for some reason and occasional memories coming to her by the form of nightmares. She knew that she had come from somewhere bad and that the red clan had saved her. Rin would always be thankful for that, and subconsciously she was thankful to herself for locking away the bad memories from before they saved her.

With all of her thinking Rin hadn't even realized they were close to the cafe, but they soon arrived at the cafe and she walked in and closed her umbrella. She immediately found her way to their normal table in the back corner that was a corner booth. She climbed onto the booth and scooted until she was in the very middle where the corner was, that had a rounded corner to make it more comfortable. She set her umbrella below her feet and then waited for her companions to sit down. When Shu and Saito sat down she looked at them and then at her menu. Why was she even looking at the menu you ask, she already knew what she wanted but now that they were here and knowing Shu the first topic of conversation would be her nightmare from the night before. So she was staring at the menu as the nightmare replayed in her brain. She put the menu over her face covering it and she squeezed her eyes shut trying to make it go away before she showed it to everyone in the restaurant like she had the night before to the old man. Rin took silent deep breaths and lowered the menu after opening her eyes and resuming her blank expression, hoping that Saito and Shu hadn't noticed her do that. The chances were low but the young girl could hope couldn't she.

[Demon Shinobi]

Shusuke sighed hearing Saito speak. It wasn't like he was annoyed or anything. He just felt that Saito should have already known they'd be going to a cafe. Maybe it was a bad habit, but Shusuke usually went there for morning meals. It was calm. Quiet. A big change from his usual surrounding. Not that he didn't love the red clan. He was their leader of course. Of course, it's likely that there wouldn't have even been a red clan without Saito. Still that didn't stop Shusuke from slugging his friend in the arm playfully. "Relax Sai. I got it. You know I like going to the Cafe." He chuckled slightly.

It wouldn't even be long until they arrived at their destination with Rin in the lead. The little squirt made a habit of that. Shusuke figured it was for the best. He could keep an eye on her that way. She made her way to their usual table and he stopped outside for a moment. "Rin had another nightmare. We're gonna try and get her to talk about it. Just don't get all weird bad cop interrogator one me when we do alright." He spoke calmly before turning to enter the cafe himself. He didn't think Saito would try to scare or hurt Rin in anyway, but he wanted to be sure. Most if not all members of the red clan had a tendency to go a bit overboard or get a little too into things from time to time. Although with him and Saito it was usually some kind of brawl.

Without another word he strolled into the cafe. It was about the time Rin was having her little episode. He'd missed most of it, but he caught a glimpse of the end. "You get that?" He whispered to Saito as he continued to the usual table. He knew Rin didn't mean to push things onto others, but at times it was someone disheartening. Shusuke needed to figure out how to teach her better control. "So you about ready to talk? Or do you want to order first?" He asked her as he took a seat across from her. This time she did have the choice. But she didn't have a choice in whether or not they actually talked about it. Only when they talked about it. And that wasn't even much of a choice.

[SouloftheAbyss]

Matsura Tsuji

The digital clock above the stove flashed to 12:45. Matsura was seated cross-legged on the couch. On his monitor displayed four camera feeds: one of the exterior of the bar, two of the intercessions, and the other possessed by his team underground. Everyone was getting into their positions. A few more minutes and then his plan would commence.

Matsura had watched a group of HOMURA members, which he recognized to be their king and some of his subordinates, leave the bar a while ago. Perhaps this turn of events would give him an advantage. With the absence of their king, HOMURA members, which still lied within the bar, would react even more sporadically when the bombs denoted. They depended on their king quite a lot, those unorganized hoodlums. Matsura bushed this thought aside for now and focus back on the cameras.

12:50 Teiru scurried along the edge of the coffee table. His moves were frantic and worried. He always got this way whenever Shizu had to leave him behind. Matsura glanced down at the weasel with slight pity. Breaking off a piece of a half eaten cookie on the table, he offered it to the small animal. Teiru sensed his actions and froze. Their eyes interlocked for a brief moment as Matsura placed the piece before him. The rodent sniffed it once, glance back at Matsura, and bolted away under the table. Matsura took his reaction as a complement. It was much better then the snarls he would receive when they first met.

Finally, the hour approached. Matsura fetched the cellphone from his back pocket. Gliding over his fingertip over the touch screen, he sent the signal word out to his clan. The time had come and now it was his job to watch his plan play out before him.

---

Shizu Sen

Shizu looked down at her phone and gave her group a devilish grin. They waiting, meters away, from the back of the HOMURA headquarters. Two Reds were waiting out back. Luckily, they isn't notice them.

She counted the seconds down in her mind. 4...3...2... Panicked voices called for assistance from the street. The two Reds soon rushed to the others aide. Alone, Shizu direct her team to the back wall. She ushered the three others back with a outstretched arm when they tired to walk past her. She would go first.

She ran her hand over the dusty cobblestone. The familiar warmth of her aura filled her body in an instant. The wall, which had felt rough and hard just before, now flowed through her fingertips like water. She pushed herself through its surface and entered the bar. The others were soon to follow. Colored a pitch black, the bar laid silent before them. Shizu lowered and activated her googles, dismissing her aura at the same time. In her back pocket laid one of Matsura's tiny bugs. She covered it and brushed her thumb along its edge. Signaling the others with a brisk swipe of her hand, Shizu stepped forward into the bar.

It was time to begin.

[Kitty]

-I didn't even click the post button so ignore this-

[peachpenguin]

Mikami Kumini

Cho's talkativeness was a nice change of pace. People holding their tongues around him was an everyday occurrence. He couldn't necessarily blame them. He'd done the same to authority figures when he was younger. In fact, the only people he could think of that talked even remotely casually with him were his lieutenant on the rare occasions that the second in command convinced him to go out drinking. He almost never took the invites, because time that wasn't spent working was time he could be spending at home. He did like to indulge his right hand man every once in a while though. And of course Kouki was always a chatter box around him. Apart from those two though, everyone else he talked with frequently seemed to think it wrong to speak freely with one of the most powerful people in the world. It wasn't like he had a short fuse or anything. Mikami liked to think of himself as a reasonably calm and collected man.

"Yes, the rain a few weeks back was rather annoying. I'm glad the weather has taken a turn for the better." The small talk was rather mundane and uninteresting, but that's not to say it isn't enjoyable. There was something refreshing about being able to talk about things that really didn't matter when most everything one talked about could be considered very serious. "Although I'm not looking forward to the heat summer brings."

Then Cho asked how he had been and that caught him off guard. The only people that ever asked that were the lady who lived in the apartment across from his after he'd been away for several days and definitely could have been looking better, and his son when he would poke at the dark circles under his eyes and scold him for not coming home enough. It seemed like everyone else either assumed he was fine because of his position or that because of his position he wouldn't want to talk about it if he wasn't fine. His lieutenant had long since given up on asking about his life outside of work too, probably worn down by Mikami's constant avoidance of the topic.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" It was a lie. Mikami was tired. He'd spent the last two nights at the Scepter 4 headquarters. The guilt of not going home was getting to him more than the lack of good sleep though. He'd have to make it up to his neighbor somehow. He remembered her talking about liking musicals. Maybe he'd get her tickets to one. Making it up to Kouki wouldn't be as simple. He'd have to spend every night at home for a week just to prove to the five year old that 'yes, the dream beasts aren't going to get me' (where dream beasts attacking people who didn't get enough sleep had come from he had no idea. the mind of a child was a mysterious place).

By that point, the two of them were entering the cafe, and instantly Mikami's eyes zeroed in on three people sitting back in the corner. "Cho, I'm going to inform you that this breakfast outing just got a lot more interesting." He nodded towards the one corner booth, occupied by none other than the Red King himself, his second in command, and another of their clansmen. Well, this had potential to get messy.

---

Tadashi Sakurai

He waited patiently for the signal that all the traffic problems had started to tell his team to move out. They'd gone over where to place the bombs for the best effect. Tadashi himself had one, stored safely in a bag on his back. He was also the one with the remote detonator. He signaled his team to move out, giving his getaway bike, that he'd placed in an alley close enough it was practical but far enough away that it wouldn't get damaged in the blast, a pat. It hurt him a little bit to have to leave it out in the open like this. After all, his cars and bikes were his babies. Tadashi would probably sulk for days if someone stole one of them.

He shook his head. There was no time to think about that right now. He had bombs to place and detonate. And that was exactly what he did. The team worked quickly, placing the bags where they needed to go before heading away from the area of immediate damage to wait for the Red Clan to arrive so they could taunt them even more. On his walk back towards his designated waiting point, Tadashi bumped into an older lady with a young boy beside her. It made him question his motives just a little bit. The two were walking towards where the pipe bombs were set to go off. They would get hurt and they certainly weren't red clansmen. Although the boy could probably pass as one with that hair of his.

Tadashi pushed the thoughts away. Matsura would never forgive him if he messed this up. They were doing this for a reason.

Once he was a safe distance away, Tadashi pulled out the detonator. With a deep breath, he gave it a push. The pipe bombs went off not so long after the Blue King and one of his clan members walked into a cafe.

[Kitty]

Rin looked up and saw the Blue King and his subordinate and just blinked once before looking at her two clansmen. She then proceeded to look down at her hands. "It started off like my normal nightmare. I was strapped to the metal table, a metal device holding my eye open... I watched and felt the pain as my eye was ripped from my socket. Then it went back in time to the first time they sliced my neck then stitched it up." Rin said placing her hand on the rose of her choker that covered the scar. Her small body had become to tremble as she recounted the nightmare, taking a lot of strength to hold the pain within herself. "Then it flashed to something new, past when I got my eye ripped out... I was strapped down but it was by my wrists and I was on a bed. Then a man came up to me and began beating me and calling me bad things... but then he... he stared doing things...." Rin couldn't take it anymore her memories flashed into the minds of her two companions but she didn't allow it past them and it was a sped up process. They saw what she had seen withing 10 seconds. Rin covered her face with her hands and shook slightly. "I'm sorry..." She said repeating the words multiple times. The usually emotionless girl was in turmoil, emotional turmoil.

That's when it happened, a younger member of HOMRA came in and ran over to their table. "King," he said slightly out of breath as he gave a slight bow. "Bombs have gone off near HOMRA and the bar has lost it's power. What should we do?" He asked looking at his king expectantly. Rin used this as her escape, she stood up grabbing her umbrella and ventured outside where she could see the smoke in the distance. Rin was using this as an excuse from getting scolded by her King and Second-In-Command, or whatever they would do. That had been the first time she had pushed her memories onto them. Rin walked towards the smoke with her umbrella up. People pushed past her as they fled the scene and she got to a distance where she could observe better but not be in danger. She was a curious girl at times. Especially when the chaos had allowed her to get away from those she had just mentally harmed, she was scared to be alone but she knew she'd be safe, she could call out and any HOMRA member would help her.

[Solace]

Saito sneered, rubbing his bicep and pretending to be in pain. "Damn it, Shu. That hurt. A lot."

It never really occurred to Saito just how long he had known Shu for. Seventeen years old, he had been when he met the person who was now the Red King. A genius of some sort who was wicked smart, smart enough to skip through a bunch of grades; unlike himself, who essentially became a failure in life despite early success.

"This place never gets old," Saito said as the three of them arrived at their destination after strolling through the bustling streets and sidewalks, peering through the windows. As Rin walked inside, Shu stopped him. "Huh?" he blinked as Shu told him something about her. "Geez, one of those things, again. Kinda makes me wonder if it's something all girls go through." Or is it just midgets? Hm...

Though the café was not exactly Saito's most favorite place to grab something to eat and drink, it was one of those places that he knew he would come back to when he was older. It might not have been like the bar, where he had met Shu and formed what was now HOMRA, but it had a homey feel to it.

Taking a seat at the usual spot, Saito threw his head down onto the table and sighed. "Man, I can't take my naps anymore with the whole framing-us-for-shit-we-didn't-do thing," he complained. "Like, seriously, why us? We do SCEPTER 4's job of beating up thugs and gangsters half the time, anyway; WITHOUT those cool sabers and fancy uniforms, too!"

As Saito was about to close his eyes, he snapped back into attention as Shu asked him if he got something. He lifted his head from the table and looked down at the menu that his face had been on, his eye catching one of the drinks that he usually ordered. "Oh yeah. I'm getting that. With some ice would be noice," he finished the last word of the sentence in English with a stereotypical Australian accent.

A pair of bells rung as the doors to the café granted entrance for a person. Curious, Saito's head turned to peer over his shoulder as his mouth opened up in surprise, seeing two familiar faces. "Yo, Chew!" he called out loudly, instantly causing the conversation across the rest of the tables to cease. Suddenly, the café became his most favorite place in Japan.

"'Scuse me for a sec," Saito's tone reverted back to normal for a moment as he addressed the Red King, his goofy face returning soon after as he kicked his chair back and walked up to the pair, flipping his hood off. "And Mister Mika, too! We got ourselves a full house, here."

"... Hey, Saito." Cho greeted. Though, as Saito was about to continue the conversation, a bunch of images began to flash through his head. "What-" he rubbed his head as he was left confused at what he had seen; a man beating whoever's memories they belonged to, and insulting them. "Okay. Weird. Anyway-"

All of a sudden, someone burst through the entrance of the café, and sure enough, it was yet another person he knew. It had been one of the boys that had been instructed to stay at the bar to keep watch, but... the boy ran past Saito as he stopped near the table, out of breath and announcing that there had been a series of explosions near HOMRA.

"What in the hell," The lobby went quiet once more after the announcement as Saito ran up to the boy and grabbed him by the shoulders, spinning him around so they were looking at one another eye to eye. "Why in the fuck did you run ALL the way over HERE when I told you to call me if there was an issue?!"

The boy began to tremble in Saito's grip. "I-I wasn't told to call you..."

"Oh, great," Saito let go of the boy as he slapped himself in the forehead. "One of them. I only fucking told it to one-"

As if on cue, his cell phone began to ring. He dug for his phone, bringing it beside his ear as he answered the call with an irritated tone. "What is it?!"

"You have to get back, fast! There's been-"

Saito interrupted the speaker, the voice belonging to the one boy he had instructed to call him. "Explosions! Yeah, thanks for being late! I'll be there!" he hung up, quickly throwing the phone back into his pocket.

Saito briefly turned to the Blue King and Cho. "Look, I know you two are gonna miss me, but you still have that logo I spray painted near your headquarters to remember me by," he quickly turned to his King. "Shu, we gotta go. Now!"

And with that, Saito sprinted out of the café, towards the direction of the bar.

[TwilightDragon]

Mikami was lying; it was obvious that he was far from being okay. She quickly glanced at the prominent dark circles that hung below his eyes, her large smile shrinking a little. The Blue King looked absolutely exhausted, and Cho wondered if he had even gotten any sleep. Even though Mikami held such a prestigious position, she pitied him at times. It seemed like his work never ended and there was no time for leisure. She opened her mouth to chastise him for not telling her the truth, only to find out that they had already reached their destination. I should be quiet. He might be more stressed than he already is, and he might not be in the mood for someone to be questioning him so much. And with that, she pressed her lips together in a straight line, remaining silent as she stepped inside the café with her King.

The Blue King spoke to her, telling her that their little breakfast break had become much more interesting than it originally was going to be. Cho tilted her head, glancing up at him just in time to catch his nod. Her eyes flicked to the back corner of the café, spotting several familiar faces. She had to admit, she was happy that Saito was there. He was her friend, after all. But she could tell that there was going to be a lot a tension as Mikami and her ate their meal. ”What a coincidence, right?” she asked. “I mean, what are the-“

“Yo, Chew!”

Just as she expected, her childhood friend was as loud as ever. Cho’s face became red with embarrassment as the conversation in the café ceased for a few moments due to Saito’s yelling. He’s such an idiot. she thought, growing exasperated with the hazel-haired man that approached her. She would have smacked him upside the head if she could, but she had to remain calm. Mikami could find it strange if she acted in such a familiar way with a member from another Clan. Yet, she couldn’t help the fact that the corner of her lips tugged upward in a crooked grin at the sight of him.

Saito even greeted Mikami, dubbing him Mr. Mika. Cho couldn’t help but cringe at the nickname he had chosen for her superior. ”… Hey, Saito.” she greeted. What exactly is he doing here? she thought as she waited for either Mikami or him to continue the conversation. However, after Saito rubbed his head and said things that didn’t make sense, a boy ran into the café and straight to where the Red King sat.

It wasn’t like she was eavesdropping. She was pretty sure that the HOMRA subordinate’s announcement could be heard by everyone in the little café. At his words, her eyes widened and her smile melted into a straight-on frown. Explosions? Cho spun around to face Mikami, a look of shock and horror on her face. She wasn’t even paying much attention to Saito anymore. Instead, she was more focused on her King and the explosions. What if people are hurt? Or worse? ”Mikami, we have to go, too.” she told him as if it wasn’t obvious.

Saito had already left after stating that he had spray painted a logo on the side of their headquarters. She would have been angry at him, but she felt like now wasn’t the time. Cho watched Mikami for a few more moments, quiet, before a harsh bark escaped her lips. ”Mikami! We can’t just stand here and do nothing! People could be dying this very instant! We have to hurry!”

For once, she didn’t think about the consequences of speaking to the Blue King in such a way. Hell, even if she did, she didn’t care. All Cho knew was that they had to get to the site of the explosion, and quickly.

[Demon Shinobi]

{This post is between me and Peach. The next part will come sometime tomorrow.}

With Rin actually opening up and soon beginning to display more emotion than he had seen her display since he'd known her Shusuke couldn't help but feel a bit bad for making her talk about it. And then she rush her memories into him and presumably Saito. He shook his head quickly to regain his composure after briefly losing it and opened his mouth to speak. However, before he could say anything a clansmen rushed in and said something about a bomb. Before he could even really react or give an order Rin rushed out. He was sure she knew this would only serve as a temporary interruption and they would have to speak again. However, he couldn't very well stop her if she was gone.

With that thought he glanced back. Saito had been quick to hop out of his seat and greet a friend and the Blue King. Almost as quick as his outburst against the young clanmen who looked like he'd wet himself if Saito hadn't run out to attend to the situation. A blue? What an interesting friend to have. He chuckled at the thought before rising from his seat. He took out his wallet and paid for the meal aksing that the ordered items be made to go. Would have sucked to have them make his and the other's orders and then have to get rid of them. "Will you be having something as well Mr. Blue king?" He asked speaking calmly and casually to who should have been viewed as one of his mortal enemies. Even without waiting the money he left the cafe was more than enough to cover another meal or two. And that was the tip.

Without another word for food he turned from the waitress he'd called over in order to speak to and walked over to Mikami and Cho. "Nice to finally meet you in person. Though it seems your subordinate is in quite the hurry." He smiled and glanced at her before turning his attention back to Mikami. He felt like there might not be many chances to speak to him regardless of how many times their paths may cross. "Miss. I'd like to suggest that you head out to do whatever it is you need to do. I need to have a few words with your king." He instructed the blue girl opting not to pay much more attention to her for the moment.

~~~

Mikami paid little attention to the red clansmen as they rushed out. They were inconsequential to him right now, as the Red King was the center of his attention. "Just something to drink if you don't mind Mr. Red King." He turned to the waitress, telling her what he wanted. He doubted that there would be any actual eating or drinking involved. In fact, Mikami was almost entire sure that this encounter would lead to a fight. There were answers that he wanted to get out of the Red King though, so this would serve multiple purposes. Plus, fighting would be a good stress relief.

"Cho, I believe you should go and investigate the scene of this apparent crime. Tell the other Scepter 4 officers that are sure to show up to focus on figuring out who did it, not on fighting with the Reds." With that, his attention was focused entirely on the Red King. As much as the two of them were supposed to be adversaries, he was oddly drawn to the man. They were opposites after all, and that old cliche opposites attract did exist for a reason. Or maybe he was feeling impulsive enough to ignore the ringing of his phone because he had never had the opportunity to talk to his apparently eternal adversaty. He'd communicated with another king once. That was the gold king shortly after Mikami had become Blue King. There were certain things that came with the position he doubted others would understand.

The bomb still occupied a small part of his mind, but for now, he wanted to know what Shunsuke wanted to talk about. "Now, if you'd please tell me what you wanted to talk about," Mikami said as he picked up the drink he'd ordered and took a sip, "when there are other, pressing matters at hand." Honestly, Mikami was intrigued at what Shunsuke might say to him.

~~~

Shusuke grabbed a drink he'd ordered while pulling out his phone. He told the waitress to hold everything else. It would be picked up by another member of the red clan. "Straight the point I see." He said to Mikami while simultaneously typing up a quick message. "In all honesty I'm not quite sure where to begin. I just got the feeling I may not be able to meet with you again like this. So I jumped at the chance." He took a sip of his own drink and hit send on his message. It was to Saito. It read :

Handle the problem, make the weaker members help out civilians and try to figure if it was the greens. Make sure nothing happens to Rin, Don't fight the blues unless it is absolutely necessary. If they don't attack you don't attack them. I won't be showing up, but on the bright side neither will the Blue King.

Finally he looked back at Mikami. "Why don't we start with what you want to say? Couldn't hurt. Although I do think a change of scenery before our conversation would be the wisest plan of action." He smirked. In the back of his mind he knew where this little talk was going. And it wouldn't be good to destroy the cafe. He opened his mouth to speak again, but before that he realized something and pulled out his phone.

Oh yeah! Pick up the orders we left at the cafe when you're done. I paid already. :3

He had to send another message. And with that his full attention was back on Mikami. "So what do you say? I'm sure you were thinking the same thing weren't you, Mr. Blue King?"

[peachpenguin]

Kouki Kumini
Kouki had been chatting adamantly with his neighbor and frequent babysitter, an older woman who he referred to as Miss Akemi, about how he'd lost his glasses last week only for his father to find them between the couch cushions, when the bomb went off. He rather liked Miss Akemi. She was sweet, and didn't seem to have issues with the dream beasts that made people's eyes dark like his father did. Plus, she let him have candy whenever he wanted, as long as he made sure to brush his teeth every night. He preferred his father, because most children had a preference for their parents over anyone else, but she was a good second.

The blast sent the two of them flying in different directions. The pain consumed all of the young boy's mind. He didn't let out any cries in the moment the explosion went off, nor for a few moments after he hit the ground. Then the adrenaline wore off and the horrible feeling of burning skin and injured bone from being thrown so far away set in. Whimpers escaped his lips, his mind too focus on dulling the pain to think about crying out for help. Tears flooded down his cheeks and Kouki did the most natural thing he could think of and curled in on himself. Holding his injured arms close to his chest. They had taken the worst of the damage, with burns up and down them. His legs had suffered almost as badly. His right wrist throbbed with pain, more than likely broken. Although Kouki registered none of these sources. All he knew was that he was hurting all over and he wanted it to go away.

The small part of his mind that wasn't focused on dealing with the pain, realized that he was alone. Miss Akemi was no where to be found. That absolutely terrified him.

[Kitty]

Rin didn't think much of what she could see due to the thick smoke. 'Maybe no one's hurt.' She simply thought as she stared at the smoke with her one eye. Rin blinked a few times as the smoke cleared. That is when she saw something, more like someone, lying on the ground obviously hurt. It was just a little boy and he seemed pretty bad off. Rin noticed that no one had noticed him, he obviously needed some help but no one was giving it to him. She thought for a minute on what to do, she would have preferred to gotten some help but Rin did what she thought was best and ran over to him. She knelt besides the boy with her umbrella covering her and him with shade and blocking out any thick smoke above. She stared at him with a red and blue eye deciding what to do next.

'First I need to get him somewhere safer then I'll tend to his wounds.' Rin thought simply as she kept an emotionless face. Despite her desire to keep her favorite umbrella with her she just set it to the side not bothering to shut it. Mustering all the strength she could, the young girl picked up the little boy and swiftly carried him to a bench down the block from the bar. She set him down on the bench knowing that they were safe over here. She then looked at him noting his bad burns on his legs and arms along with a obviously broken wrist. She couldn't do much for him yet but what she did do was take her shoes of and then remove her socks. She took one sock and wrapped it gently around his wrist but making it tight enough so he couldn't move it to much but not tight enough to cut off circulation. Next she took her other sock and began to clean off the dust and dirt from off his body being careful around the burns hoping she could help even if it was in a slight way. Rin had no idea who this boy was but she knew she was doing the right thing. HOMRA protected people no matter what citizens thought of them, as she was a part of HOMRA she would protect him and help him no matter what. She may be weak but she felt the desire to protect him.

[TwilightDragon]

As she waited for her King's reply, Shusuke told her that she should leave. Cho looked back at Mikami to see if he agreed, and it was then that he gave her a solid order. The officers were very likely on their way to the scene of the crime as she stood there. I have to get there before them. If they make it there before I arrive, they're definitely going to fight with the Reds. "Understood." she said in response, giving Mikami a curt nod. "I'll make sure that a fight doesn't break out between the members of HOMRA and our men." The Blue woman turned toward Shusuke and watched him carefully. She wasn't sure if she should say anything to him. Then again... there was nothing to say. Cho simply narrowed her eyes at the Red King before turning away and running out of the cafe.

Cho ran toward HOMRA's headquarters as quickly as she could, worry fluttering in her chest and stomach. Was anyone killed? There were bound to be people who were injured, but she couldn't help wonder if people had lost their lives. If they did, she wouldn't forgive the culprit. What if the Red Clan were the ones responsible for the explosions? They had been acting up recently. But she wasn't sure that they would go so far as to cause harm to citizens... As Cho's mind raced with thoughts, she caught a blur of movement from the corner of her eye. She turned to see the other officers of the Blue Clan racing their way to the site of the explosion as well. "Mikami said that he doesn't want any fighting!" she called out over to them between breaths. "He wants us to investigate the scene of the crime and see who's responsible."

The officers seemed to hear, acknowledging her words with a nod or glance in her direction. Even if they appeared to understand, Cho didn't know what she would do if one of them drew their blades. She would have to keep a close eye on them. The last thing she wanted was for the two rival Clans to fight while they had much more important things to attend to. Mikami would not be happy with her if she couldn't take control of the situation.

When they arrived, Cho spotted many people in disarray. A few of the citizens were hurt, some more severely than others. Panic started to replace the worry that had settled in her stomach, and her eyes flitted across the area. She spotted many people on their cellphones, demanding ambulances for the injured. This was just one big mess, and she despised it. Who could have had the heart to do this? she thought as she ran a hand through her hair. To harm innocent people... they truly have no heart.

[Kitty]

(Collab between peach and I)
When Kouki finally regained some semblance of consciousness, he wasn't where he had been before the metaphorical lights had gone out. The first thing he realized was the everything still hurt. It still hurt and he was still alone and scared. All he really wanted was for his dad to show up and make him stop hurting and to tell him everything was going to be okay. His eyes opened slowly and that was when he realized something.

He wasn't alone.

There was someone there. Someone he didn't know. She was doing something to his arms, but he wasn't sure what it was and it only made things sting worse. Kouki let out a cry of pain, pulling away from whoever it was that was with him. She wasn't his father and she wasn't Miss Akemi, so he didn't trust her. But the instant Kouki pulled away, his arms and felt better. His legs still hurt from the burns on them, and his wrist still throbbed, but his arms felt better. It was like there was absolutely nothing wrong with them. Kouki let out a deep breath, shyly looking up at the girl. Maybe she wasn't so bad. She'd made his arms stop burning after all.

---

Rin watched as the boy regained consciousness and then freaked out backing away from her. As he did she began to feel pain on her arms. She let out a gasp and a small whimper as tears formed in her eyes but she blinked it away and kept her emotionless stature. She was in major pain but did not show it. How she was in pain she didn't know but Rin believed it had to do with the fact that his arms were no longer burnt. As she sat there she also realized her inner emotional turmoil had seemed to have calmed down. It was surprising for she usually always had inner emotional turmoil no matter what. That is when she realized it, this boy had to be a strain like her. It would only make the most sense.

Despite the pain filling her, she gave a slight warm smile. "I'm Rin Yamashita. I know you are probably scared but don't worry, I'm here to help. I promise I won't let anything happen to you. My friends will come help us out in a minute. If you want me to do anything for you as we wait I will try my best..." Rin said as she paused thinking for a moment. "I will sing to you if that calms you like it does me." She added as she looked at the boy. He seemed like a good kid and with whatever power he had it was allowing her to feel more comfortable without one of her clansmen with her. Rin kept smiling warmly at the boy, her sleeves slowly getting damp from the oozing of the burns. They were becoming stuck to the burns and she knew it would hurt to remove the sleeves later. Hopefully Shu and Saito wouldn't be too mad at her. She had acted slightly reckless by running into the wreckage to help the little boy. But she had a feeling they'd be understanding even if they were slightly upset. Rin never knew with those two.

---

The thought of more new people scared him. He wasn't even sure what to think about this girl, yet alone these friends she spoke of. But she'd helped him right? She'd made some of his pain go away. So she couldn't be evil like the dream beasts that always got his Dad whenever he spent too much time at work. He sniffled, eyes still watering, a few chocked sobs coming out every now and again. "Okay...." he managed to whimper out, wiping at his nose with the hand that wasn't throbbing. He wasn't sure what her singing would do. Sometimes Miss Akemi sang to him, but he didn't really think it did anything. Miss Akemi had a pretty voice though. He remembered his Dad telling him once that she used to sing for money. Maybe the girl had a pretty voice like Miss Akemi. His only hope was the maybe her friends could help him find his Dad. He didn't know how to get home and that was what he really wanted. Daddy would make the hurt go away and stay with him all night and make him eggs in the morning.

But Daddy wasn't here and everything still hurt. He hoped this girl and her friends could do something. He didn't like it, hurting this much.

---

Rin nodded and sat besides him. Slowly she lifted the child onto her lap hoping to help comfort him. In a way her the song she was going to sing had always helped bring peace to her rowdy clansmen. She was hoping it would have the same calming affect on the young boy. She then began to sing, her voice gentle and delicate. As she sang she gently rubbed soothing circles on the boys back in hopes it would help.

Wandering child of the earth
Do you know just how much you're worth?
You have walked this path since your birth
You were destined for more

There are those who'll tell you you're wrong
They will try to to silence your song
But right here is where you belong
So don't search anymore

You are the dawn of a new day that's waking
A masterpiece still in the making
The blue in an ocean of grey
You are right where you need to be
Poised to inspire and to succeed
You'll look back and you'll realize one day

In your eyes there is doubt
As you try to figure it out
But that's not what life is about
So have faith there's a way

Though the world may try to define you
It can't take the light that's inside you
So don't you dare try to hide
Let your fears fade away

You are the dawn of a new day that's waking
A masterpiece still in the making
The blue in an ocean of grey
You are right where you need to be
Poised to inspire and to succeed
You'll look back and you'll realize one day

You are the dawn of a new day that's waking
A masterpiece still in the making
The blue in an ocean of grey
You are right where you need to be
Poised to inspire and to succeed
Soon you'll finally find your own way

(Video available here:Click me!)

(I can post it if you want me to or you can, I don't mind either way)

[Solace]

[A collaborative effort between Twilight & I]

Even though he was still four blocks away from the bar, the pockets of smoke billowing across the sky was an unsettling sight for Saito to witness. The midget ran off on her own, too... damn it!

By the time that Saito had arrived at the scene, a squadron of ambulances had already sounded off, droning down the streets with the wounded in tow. "Jesus Christ," he planted his left wrist directly over his nostrils to avoid inhaling the noxious atmosphere. "Did Osama bin Laden turn in his grave or something?" He dashed through the smog and towards the entrance of the bar, only to see a group of uniformed officers across the street adjacent towards him, studying the aftermath.

"Chew?" Saito whispered to himself, confused as to how she had gotten here faster than he did... and why there were extra Blue clansmen with her. Did they have something to do with this? No... they couldn't have. They wouldn't hurt innocent people like that.

Footsteps slammed through the entrance of the bar as one of the boys who had been stationed to watch the bar, the same one that he had instructed to give him a phone call in case of an emergency, pointed directly at Chew and the group of clansmen accompanying her.

"Fucking Blues!" the boy shouted, his voice cracking as if he were emotionally distraught. "We had enough of yer shiet!

The second boy, a walking giant whose immense size even managed to intimidate him, followed the smaller, scrawnier one. "We oughta teach you Blues a lesson for this," his deep voice accompanying the cracking of his knuckles. "Always expected you to hurt innocent people, but when you involve those kids-"

Cho was ripped from her thoughts when a couple of Red clansmen ran out of the bar. They seemed hostile and ready to fight at any given moment. God damn it. "Do you really think that we would hurt innocent people?" she scoffed angrily. Numbskulls. They don't know what they're talking about. But if they don't calm down... Her gaze flicked to the other officers, noticing that they were prepared to defend themselves if they were attacked. We'll have to fight.

From behind, Saito restrained the smaller boy by pulling him back and wrapping an arm around the back and front of his neck, mumbling into his ear. "Why the hell didn't you call me earlier?" he tightened the lock on the boy's neck as he began to struggle. "You know, I could've gotten here a lot sooner. What retard led you idiots to send someone when you could've just called? You left the bar one less person to defend it!" He shoved the boy out of his hold soon after, quickly moving to stand in front of the giant as he looked at the stray Blues.

"Nobody hurts the Blue girl, or the others," Saito spoke, the heavyset boy seemingly disappointed. He blinked for a moment when he realized that Rin was nowhere to be found. "Where the hell is the midget? In the bar?"

Just when she thought that a fight was going to break out, Saito stepped in to calm the clansmen down. Cho let out a sigh of relief. I have to admit, Saito is more useful than he looks.

"No," the smaller boy answered. "I saw her run towards where the explosions happened down there," he pointed a short distance down the street where the smoke originated from. Always a chore, this midget.

Saito bit his tongue, patting the same boy on the arm and motioning down towards the direction where he had pointed to. "You go look for her, and make sure she's safe," he instructed the scrawny boy in a clear, yet rushed, manner. "Bring her back here, to the bar -- fast."

"And you," Saito turned to the boy who was a full head and a half taller than him. "Go back into the bar and make sure nothing's damaged inside. Don't want Shu's blood pressure going overboard this early," he explained.

Saito took a quick breath. "If there's any trouble, call me," he took both of the boys by their necks and brought them close to his face, glaring at them. "And I fucking mean it this time."

As the two of them nodded in understanding of their jobs and went off, Saito sighed as he raised a hand to his forehead. Now, to deal with these scumbags. "So," he said as he slowly walked towards Chew and her posse. "What's going on in these neck of the woods?"

Cho perked up when she spotted Saito heading towards them. She knew that he wouldn't start a fight, and so, she forced herself to relax, even if it was only a little bit. "I really have no idea." she told her friend, raising a hand to push a few stray strands of hair out of her face. "Who do you think caused the explosion?"

"Beats me, Chew," Saito scratched the back of his head. "You know the deal. We might be enemies, but screw the clans thing for a few hours. Let's go catch a movie later when you're done work, cool off a bit after this," he was serious, despite the fact that there was a high chance that he would be needed soon enough, and the whole the-street-next-to-our-base-just-blew-up ordeal. "I'll pay this time. Deal?"

[TwilightDragon]

[Collab between Sol and I]

Cho gave Saito an annoyed look. Did he really just ask me that? She knew that Saito could often be spontaneous, but this really wasn't the time. They had a mystery on their hands, and he was asking her out to a movie. Then again, she really should have been used to the way that he acted. "... Fine." she replied, crossing her arms. "I'll go to the movies with you, okay? But I choose the movie."

Saito groaned. "God damn it," he slapped himself on the forehead. "One of those cringy chick flicks, I expect. Great."

The Blue clanswoman grinned at Saito, her annoyed expression melting into a mischievous grin. She never got to pick the movie that they watched, so she was pleased that she was finally able to do so. "You know I don't like chick flicks." she told him. "Tell you what. I'll pick a movie that we both like. That way, you won't fall asleep in the middle of it."

"Bleh. Action or you're paying for it," Saito sighed. He leaned back as he yawned, his eyes closed.

One of the Blue officers, whose hand had remained on the hilt of his sabre ever since they had arrived, began a chain of gossip among the squad of officers.

"Is that really Saito Iwasaki, the second-in-command of the Red Clan?"

"Isn't he supposed to be the most aggressive person in HOMRA?"

"Why is Cho so friendly with a lowlife like-"

Saito's right eye slowly opened up upon the mention of him being a lowlife. The lone pupil rotated around the assorted officers as they started back at it, the situation suddenly growing more tense. "Chew, am I subject to self-defense?" the right side of his lips curled up into a devious grin, which only served to intimidate them even more.

"Now, now, Saito." Cho grinned at him even though the officer's words stung a little. Saito was not a lowlife, despite many people thinking that he was. "You can't do anything to them as long as they don't touch you. I don't want to have to arrest you." she joked before turning to the rest of the officers. They were already gossiping about Saito and her, weren't they? She couldn't help but feel a little bit annoyed at that fact.

"I used to go to school with him years ago." she explained to them. "I've known Saito for a long time. It's only natural that we're friends, right?"

"Nah, don't be fooled. I only came for the juice pouches," Saito added in his own joke, finding it hilarious enough to be the only one laughing at it.

Cho glanced back at the scene, heaving a sigh. "We really need to figure out who did this, though." she murmured, a concerned look coming across her face. "Innocent people were hurt. Some might die on the way to the hospital." Her fingers curled slightly, grabbing at the fabric of her uniform. "I won't forgive who did it. I'll make sure that they get what they deserve."

Saito pretended to be afraid of Chew after another episode of talking to one's self about an issue. "You go, girl," he stated in the most flat and monotone voice in existence, slowly pumping an unenthusiastic fist in the air with a blank face.

Another sigh escaped her lips, this one sounding more exasperated than the last. It would take a long time to find the culprit. Cho would surely work until she dropped in order to get the bastard behind bars for life. We have to investigate the scene thoroughly, though. she thought, her brow furrowing as she wondered who it could be. It couldn't be the Red Clan... they've taken some damage as well. Why would they harm themselves in order to harm others?

"This is all too confusing." Cho complained. "It could even be someone from outside the clans. I have to talk to Mikami about this."

"Who knows," Saito's face grew dark as he clenched a tough fist, and his Red Aura faintly showed itself. "Maybe it's those Green fucks that did it. Or those useless Gold fucks, 'cause at least they could afford to launch an attack."

Cho glanced toward Saito again, her frown deepening. "That could be a possibilty. But the chances of it being true are slim." she told him. "Like I said, I have to talk to Mikami about what happened. I'll tell him to keep a close eye on the Greens and Golds."

Saito shrugged. "Whatever," he said, turning around towards the bar with his back to Chew. "I'm gonna go be useful. Smell ya later," he began to walk off, calling back as he went to tend to his business. "And don't forget -- if it's not an action movie, I ain't paying nothing!"

Cho grinned at Saito's words. At least he put her heart at ease. It certainly was nice to have him around. "Alright, guys." she said, turning toward the rest of the officers and beginning to walk away from the site of the explosion. "Let's wrap this up and get back to Mikami."