↑ Katsura Inohara above ↑

••●••

'There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact'
— Arthur Conan Doyle

••●••

The torrential rain pelted down hard, drowning away the sounds of the passing cars and people. Everyone ran to take shelter inside shops, and in cars and even in their houses. But she couldn't do that. She had to get home.

Holding up her bag above her head to protect her from the rain, Katsura Inohara raced through the empty streets and toward her house.

Once she reached the Inohara Dojo on the outskirts of the city, she sighed with relief as she hurried toward the doorway. She slid open the front door, and entered inside of the large building.

"I'm home!"

"Ah, welcome back, Katsura," the brunette's mother appeared by the door to greet her.

Katsura bowed. "I'm home, Mother."

"What is this? You're soaking." Emiko Inohara put a hand to her chin worriedly. "You've got to dry off."

"Katsura!" In running into the scene came Katsura's little brother, Arata Inohara.

He was wearing a gi, along with a orange belt to go with it, as he was still a beginner. But him wearing his uniform informed Katsura that he was training under her father before she had arrived.

"Listen, Katsura! Father said that I did good today! He said that I'll get a blue belt next week if I keep it up!" boasted the six-year-old, grinning happily. He was missing a few teeth, but he was still cute enough to 'aww' at.

With a proud smile, Katsura ruffled her little brother's hair. "Good job, Arata. You really are getting bigger."

Arata laughed brightly in response. "Soon, I'll be able to beat you in a fight! You better watch your back, Sis!"

Katsura chuckled, pulling away her hand. "I'll be waiting, Arata."

With his eyes alight with utmost happiness, Arata spun around and disappeared into the dojo.

Once he was completely gone from sight, Katsura's mother handed her a towel. "You better dry up, Katsura. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold."

Katsura nodded, taking off her shoes and entering into her household.

"Katsura, can I have a word with you?" Stepping inside of the area both child and wife were in, Seijuro Inohara sent Katsura a serious look.

She narrowed her eyes in response. She was well aware of what he was hinting toward. "Yes."

Following after her father into one of the spare rooms, Katsura took a seat before her parents. They soon both sat as well.

"As the oldest in the Inohara family, and one in the same year as the person our family was assigned to guard, it is up to you to protect our secret," her father simply stated.

Katsura hung her head painfully. "I apologize, Father, Mother. I..."

Smiling softly, Emiko placed a hand on Katsura's shoulder. Katsura's eyes widened, startled by her mother's warm gaze.

"It was not your fault. What has happened is already in the past. You just need to raise your head and keep looking forward," she said. "Not all we see is what it seems. Sometimes things happen for a reason. You just need to keep protecting our family's secret. That is all we, and everyone else, ask of you."

Katsura felt touched at her mother's words. "Mother..."

But, the family... Because of her mistake...

Seijuro chuckled, snapping his daughter's attention to him. "What kind of business do you think this family runs? All of us here are insanely strong. We can protect ourselves from that family. For the time being, we just want you to protect this secret, and live as you are supposed to. Understood?"

Seijuro's eyes shone with deep integrity and love for his family, and yet, at the same time they were solemn and earnest, representing his great skill and status. Katsura knew she could trust his words, whether they be true or not.

"I understand. Thank you." Katsura rose from her position and gave her parents a bow before exiting the room and heading up the staircase toward hers. She entered her sterile room, and collapsed onto her bed. What a tiring day... And her clubmates were brushing her aside while secretly engaging in something. Not that she minded. She was keeping a secret of her own as well.

Katsura's cell phone rang, bringing her back to reality. She pulled the pink device out from her pocket and blinked at the Caller ID, which read 'Unknown Caller.'

Should she answer it?

Curious, she clicked the green button and put it to her ear. "Hello?"

"This is Katsura Inohara, correct?" Their identity was unfamiliar, but, by what it sounded like, Katsura knew the voice belonged to a male.

"Yes, who is this?"

"Ah!" cheered the voice. "I finally found you! Do you know how much trouble it is to find your name in the phone book? There's a bunch of 'Katsura's' in Kyoto. Well, maybe not a bunch, but there's a lot of 'Inohara's,' so it took me a long time to find you. Like Sayuri Inohara, Himuro Inohara, Mari—" The male cut himself off with a short laugh. "Oh, my bad. I'm blabbering too much, aren't I? It's a habit, sorry."

The male ended his laughing fit, and once he did, something about his entire vibe changed over the phone. If that was even possible.

"Actually, it's the puppetmaster."

☻ ☺ ☻

"But wait, before I do that," Izumi began, putting a hand to her chin. She smiled and snapped her fingers once more. "Get them."

The bodyguards immediately leaped into action and went to grab the six teens. They all fought back in response; kicking, slapping, jabbing and punching the males for them to let go. And soon enough, Ayame liberated herself and made an example by running toward the doorway.

"Everyone, come on!"

Next to follow was Ryuu, who punched the guy who held him square in the face. Haru threw the chips he carried at his assaulter's eyes before getting away safely. Akira jostled the man on her hard in the side, which caused him to let go at once, and her to scurry out the door. Juzo's dull presence wasn't even enough for the males to notice him, or go after him in the first place, so getting away was easy. Tadashi attempted to do the same and escape as well, as it seemed fairly easy to do so, until another man from behind put him into a choke-hold. The man in front held out his arms, his smirk almost taunting him to try to run away also.

The grip the man held Tadashi by was tight, making it impossible for Tadashi to breathe. He clawed at his arm for him to let him go, his pale eyes grazing Izumi. She wore a small smile on her face, that condescending one she always wore.

Black splotches appeared around his vision, and his strength was fading fast. Soon enough, his arms fell by his sides, and as lightheaded as he was, he felt faint. Was he... going to die?

Without warning, the man unhanded him, and he fell to the ground. Tadashi coughed uncontrollably, sucking in as much oxygen as he possibly could. His lungs ached, as well as his throat as his senses came back to him at full throttle. He gingerly put a hand to his neck just as his breathing began to stabilize.

What was...

"Ha ha, Tadashi, you must really have no outstanding traits, huh? You couldn't even escape!" Izumi broke out into hysterics, making the brunet look up at her. She wore the smirk from earlier as she spun on her heels. "No wonder nobody takes you seriously."

Tadashi felt slightly offended but the female gestured for him to follow her. He narrowed his eyes. Why would he want to do something like that? Of course he was going to try and get away from the person that almost killed him—

Randomly, the male who had put Tadashi in a headlock seized his arms and threw him up to his feet as if it were no trouble. Tadashi's eyes widened as he shoved him after the blonde. Glancing behind him, Tadashi's gaze fell onto the rows of bodyguards following in suit, their eyes on him like a hawk, and that silenced all of Tadashi's notions of fleeing.

He was going to die...

Paranoia coursed through the brunet as he continued to dog the female inside of a room. It was frilly and girly, and filled with many high class things; ivory walls, abstract paintings, a queen sized bed and a walk-in closet. Even three full-blown pictures of her, mirrors, and pink couches adorned the room as well.

Taking a seat on the furniture, Izumi snapped her fingers yet again and a maid came racing inside of the room, pushing a cart in with her. She then proceeded to pour tea into two matching teacups, setting them onto the table in front of her.

The bodyguards behind Tadashi ushered him to sit on the couch across from Izumi, and he relented, ignoring how much he was trembling.

What were they going to do with him? What was Izumi planning?

Holding out a steaming cup of tea for Tadashi, Izumi smiled. "I hope you don't mind Earl Green Tea."

Cautiously, Tadashi took it from her, assured that the bodyguards behind him would make him take it anyway.

The blonde chuckled, "I just want to talk with you. I had to do that if I wanted us to be alone." Tadashi's startled expression caused Izumi to grin in amusement. "Although I said you have no outstanding traits, you're the most trustworthy one. Everyone else has my suspicions. We may all be clubmates, but not all is what it seems, correct? Take me for example."

"Wh... What do you want to talk to me about?" Tadashi asked through a shaky voice.

Just then, Izumi's expression darkened.

"Three things, really," she said, her salmon coloured eyes filled with a sullen emotion. "About the Prime Minster, about Moriko Kitoshi... and about the disaster."

☻ ☺ ☻

"Is everyone here?"

The group of four looked around, studying each peer's face.

Akira's eyes widened. "Ah! No, Matsumoto's still inside!"

Ryuu flinched in disbelief, jerking his head back and forth rapidly. "No way! I left Tadashi there to die—"

"Tadashinn will be fine," Haru spoke up calmly.

Distraught, Ryuu grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him back and forth. "No, he won't! Shinzo was trying to kill us! I knew she was secretly a sadist under all that!"

"Izumi has always been a sadist," Akira pointed out, biting her fingernails.

Ryuu flinched. "That's not the point!" he shouted. "We left Tadashi there! Should we go back? What am I even asking, we have to go back!"

"Calm down, Sasahara," Ayame said, and that shut them all up right away.

They all stared at her attentively. Ayame always seemed to have an answer to everything.

Sighing, Ayame held out her finger and pointed to all four of them, before frowning distastefully. "Matsumoto's not the only one that's missing," she said. "Fatora is gone as well."

☻ ☺ ☻

"What do you mean?" Yasuo demanded, jerking up to his feet. His glare was fixated on the mysterious being, but he didn't feel intimidated at all. In fact, it only increased his amusement.

"They went to confront Izumi Shinzo for her crimes," Sousuke merely replied with a haughty smirk. "All those who sin need punishment."

"Your uniform—you're from Yokuzawa High School, right? What are you doing here?" Nobuo Iseri inquired, rising up to his feet as well. He tapered his eyelids into a scowl. "No, more importantly, what do you know?"

"A friend of mine piqued my interest in this so I went snooping around," Sousuke said, putting a finger in his ear. "It's actually amazing how easily you can get information out of someone. That one guy made it so easy, it was boring. I was really looking forward to all the tortures I had in mind, too..."

Sousuke sighed dejectedly, and Yasuo held out a fist to hit him, boiling with anger. "You—"

He held up a hand to stop him. "Hold on, you don't want to hurt me just yet."

"Why? I'm feeling pissed off enough right now," Yasuo spat.

Sousuke chuckled. He wore a haughty smirk, his teal eyes filled with excitement. "Izumi Shinzo is in danger I'm afraid. If you don't hurry, she'll cease to exist... if you know what I mean, ha ha."

"What?" Nobuo demanded.

Sousuke cocked his head to the side, dismissing the question. "Oh, and if you're wondering, I'm Sousuke Kitoshi, by the way. "Nakurama" is one of my aliases, but I think I'll give up that name. I'm very honoured to meet you though, Yasuo. You too, Mr. Nobuo."

Yasuo's eyelids shot up, and his blood ran cold. "Kitoshi..."

Digging into his uniform, Sousuke pulled out two matching revolvers and was holding them to both of their heads before they could process what was happening. He wore a malevolent smile.

"Sorry to say this even though we just met but, I'm going to have to cash in that reward now," he stated, cocking the guns. "Say your final prayers."