Third-Person

Laughter resounded all around the house with banter being passed and off-key songs being sung, celebrating such a glorious milestone. The warmth of the festivities held such promise, the mood was perfect. Everyone was having the time of their lives.

"I have to say it again, Miki. I'm so freaking happy for you!" Ia cried, hanging onto the woman's arm as she jumped ecstatically. Ia genuinely was more than just happy, but she had snuck more than one spiked drink and her excitement was, well, evident.

"Thank you! Can you believe it? I'm actually still processing, but it's finally happened!" Miki pumped her fist into the air, striking a ridiculous pose. Meiko raised her glass of mixed alcohols into the air, slurring something along the lines of "About time, bitch!".

Rin hugged Miki from behind as Miku and [_____] group hugged her, squeals off happiness and lighthearted banter surrounded the ladies. Miki wiped tears from her cheeks as they wouldn't stop even for a second. She was overwhelmed with the waves of gratitude and pure joy.

"My own home... oh, can you believe it you guys?!"

The property in which Miki newly owned was nice and cozy, but not necessarily quaint. At least it was no longer a cramped apartment with the twins! She finally owned a house!

The plot of land was on the outskirts of town, nestled in the forest off any of the nearby paths. This house was in the opposite direction of where the base was, but it still felt like home. The first floor alone had enough space for a common room, a kitchen/dining room, a laundry closet, a restroom, and a master bedroom with its own bathroom. The second story held four spare bedrooms and one bathroom. The backyard was mostly cleared out with a simple shed that would soon become a "man cave" for the boys to take over.

It wasn't long before everyone did their own thing. Gumi and Meiko were playing a drinking game with Piko cheering them on from the floor participating in a braid train. He was in the middle of braiding Miku's hair while [_____] was braiding his. Rin and Leon were in an arm wrestling match, obvious that Leon was losing big time.

Miki had just finished making milk tea to compliment the lemon cookies brought as a housewarming present. Gakupo joined in on the drinking game, taking only one shot before he began complaining about his eyesight. Meiko slapped his back with a hearty laugh.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," she snickered.

"Hey, Miki! Do you think you could show me how to make this tea?" Momo asked after a single sip, "It's so sweet!"

Miki smiled and nodded her head, setting down the tray of tea at the snack table.

Within seconds, the festivities hushed as Len bust through the door. His brows were furrowed, his fists clenched... the intent to kill was prevalent.

"Our base has been burnt to a smoldering crisp." his voice held a different tone, malice completely ingrained as he grit his teeth.

The group's collective expressions were that of shock and confusion. Meiko, despite drinking her own body weight, sobered up some at the news.

"I'm sorry, I think I misheard that. What did you say?" Gumi whispered, her throat tightening. Miku's face fell as she stared at Len, as did [_____]'s.

The silence was unbearable as was the palpable tension. Leon stood up and nodded, "Yeah, it is. You're the one who told me to do it. Why are you acting so surprised?"

"What the fuck?! Are you serious?" Miki inquired, hands on her hips. She glanced between the both of them, expecting a sudden answer, "What the hell is going on?"

"I'm being 100 percent, Miks. I was ordered to burn down the base by Boss."

"I told you to do that?"

"Yeah!" Leon answered matter-of-factly.

"Well hell! Everyone was thinking it was the Ero's who'd done it! Next time, be more thorough!" Miku yelled. Everyone else agreed, the fear ebbing slowly.

"Wait, why would you tell him to trash the base?" [_____] questioned. Len placed a hand on his head as if lost in thought.

"I'm not sure. I must not have been sober. I forgot."

[_____] sat him on the couch and went to grab a cup of tea. Rin walked over to Gumi and shook her head slowly while Len was distracted.

"I don't remember Len drinking. He sure as hell doesn't do any drugs, but something's not settling right. I do remember Len telling Leon to fuck up the base because someone switched sides. She's happy, flaunting off her Eros status like a wedding band. She knew everything about us, down to our middle names. Our base was compromised from the start. We've now relocated." Rin explained to the other girl. Gumi's eyes widened as she pulled a notebook off the shelf behind her. The pen holder beside it was a bonus.

She began furiously scribbling down bubbles and labels, quotes and whatnot, "Guys, I think I found something... Keep up, there's quite a bit of information to bite on, but listen. There's this massive group called "World's Fallen Angels". [_____] said Kaito tried to persuade her into the group, but she declined. What Piko and Ia found on the day [_____]'s memories were retrieved was a close call. On their way back to base, they overheard some dude on the phone that there are three groups. At the very top, controlling all, there are these fuckers called "The Heartless", or "World", Kaito and that other guy, [_____]'s cousin Yuuma, go up there. Following shortly are the Demonic. The second group which is "Fallen". The last and the third, our prime enemy, the Eros, are the "Angels". Holy shit..." Gumi whispered.

Rin and Gakupo glanced at each other quizzically, sharing a shrug. Meiko seemed impatient and rolled her wrist.

"Look, it's simple, really. Check this out." Gumi continued as she wrote on a fresh sheet of paper.

"Worlds" Heartless
"Fallen" Demonic
"Angels" (of) Eros

"People of the world are evil, corrupt, and all that etcetera shit, right? Some are heartless. These heartless are Demonic and "Fallen Angels". Eros is a Greek god. Of love. Love can corrupt some people by turning it into lust and others into jealously, creating the heartless people of this world who are presumably fallen angels that Eros created to turn away from God."

"This sounds like a conspiracy theory," Meiko whispered, pouring herself a shot of sake, "Are you already drunk? Cuz even I'm smelling this bullshit."

"I agree, this feels too farfetched," Gakupo rationalized.

The situation and the energy in the room felt tense. Rin steeled her nerves and called [_____] away from Len on the couch. She smiled warmly and passed her over to Miku who quickly shielded her.

Rin glanced over at Miki, catching her attention before addressing her brother, "So, Len. Did you figure out what you were on last night?"

"I don't even know. It must have been hardcore for me to just forget shit, though. Not the first time, you get me?"

Rin nodded her head, laughing conspiratorially, nudging Miki, "Ohhh, so that's how it is... okay."

Piko and Leon immediately tackled and tied Len up, bounding his hands behind his back and his feet so he couldn't run. The two then pulled him up to stand. Miki and Gumi had their guns trained on the boy within mere seconds and the steel of Gakupo's blade was pressed into his throat. [_____] cried nervously, confused by what was going on.

"Don't do it." Miku whispered over her shoulder, her own gun aimed at Len.

Gakupo's blade was at Len's neck, "Who sent you? One of the Eros?"

"Y'all are too obsessed with the Eros. Is that all everyone thinks about in this gang? Well, shit. Looks like I blabbed a little too much over the phone a while back. I just thought those snazzy dressers were cosplayers. Looks like they were part of Demon Fang. Who'd ever think?" Len smiled deviously.

"Who the fuck are you?!" Gakupo ordered, pressing the blade into his throat.

"Jeez! Like I'd ever tell you. You must be a bigger dumbass then I thought!"

At that instant, a needle was thrown directly into his left side.

"Motherf—! Ahh, shit!"

"They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," a familiar voice resounded from the main doorway, "You did a shit job!"

The bound imposter turned to face the front door, a cackle escaping him.

"Even if I did a shit job, you still look worse than me!"