When Natsu woke up, only silence greeted her.

The house was empty, his brother Shouyou was nowhere to be found, but there was no clue about his whereabouts. If anything, it seems like he didn't even spend the night inside the house, and truthfully, it's getting into her nerves.

She was about to call him, when her phone suddenly rang. The woman picked it up, answering the phone with a calm voice she gained from years of experience.

"Hello?"

'Hinata Natsu, if you want to save your brother, you will follow our orders.' Natsu's breath hitched. What? What the hell was this supposed to mean?

"... What are you talking about?" she asked, "Where's my brother?"

A deep chuckle could be heard through the phone. The voice was foreign to her ears, she couldn't recognize it, and that alone began to scare her.

'We're holding him captive in our hideout. If you want to ensure his safety, you will do anything we told you to.'

Natsu hesitated. It may be a trap, but there's nothing else she could do. If the captors were skilled enough to take her brother, asking for the Silver Lions' help will be too risky. And she's not going to put him in more danger.

"Fine. What do you want me to do?"

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Bokuto let out a sigh, fixing the collar of his thick coat as he stood in front of the house. Every month he came to this place, the scene only seems to grow duller. The dust on the windows become thicker, more spider webs could be found on the ceiling, and even the door is always locked.

No one will answer the door, he had tried countless times. But he still live up to his moral standards, he won't use the spare key under the rug until he had spent at least 5 minutes outside. Barging in instantly would be impolite.

But this time, he was truly stunned. A couple of knocks, and someone opened the door from inside.

Moreover, it was Kuroo himself. For the first time in two years, he looked... decent. Water is dripping from his black hair, clearly he had just taken a shower. And he looks like he had gotten enough sleep from the night before.

"Bokuto?" Kuroo's voice doesn't sound that tired, though not as energetic as it used to be, but still an improvement.

"... Not that I hate the change, but how much vodka did you drink?"

Kuroo huffed, motioning Bokuto to enter the house. "I hate vodka, and I'm not the drunk. My current problems required me to socialize, therefore I need to look presentable." The ex-soldier ran his fingers through his hair, inhaling deeply, "So what are you doing here?"

The question managed to pull Bokuto out of his shock, "Oh, right! Oikawa's having another party! Have you read your invitation?"

A scoff came out of Kuroo's lips, as he gave his guest a glare, before he pulled out a bottle of coke from the fridge, "Why the hell would I leave my house just to check on my mailbox?!"

Ah, there it is. Kuroo's signature rude attitude.

"Well, now that you're much more sociable than the last time I went to visit, how about coming to the party with me?"

Bokuto was... How should he put it? It's amazing how he could drink a whole 300ml bottle of coke in one gulp. That's not healthy, but still.

The ravenette gave him a deadpan expression, throwing the empty plastic bottle without breaking eye contact.

Bokuto waited patiently.

Kuroo let out a grunt.

Bokuto grinned, accompanied by his optimism.

"Hell no."

His smile fell. "Why not, Kuroo?! Just take it as a reunion! Even Kageyama and Azumane are coming!" Kuroo remained unamused, so the owl-like man continued, "There's lots of reasons to go! Even the small ones! Free food, the music, or hitting on ladies? You can come for that!"

"Bokuto, I'm not going."

"Because you still want to lock yourself up here?" Bokuto retorted, "Just-... Just leave the house for once! I swear you're gonna rot here if-..."

Kuroo slammed his fist onto the table, and Bokuto fell silent. The cat-like male growled, glaring deadly at his 'bro'. "Bo, listen. I told you I'm not going, and you already know why. I'm quite sure that's all you need to say, so how about you just leave?"

Bokuto scowled. He has been holding himself back from exploding for two years already, but this is getting out of hand. If anything, he's the one who has the right to be angry.

The military member let out a bitter laugh, "If you say so. I've had enough, anyways," Bokuto shrugged, giving Kuroo a pointed look, "You're smart, you're strong, you were... a cool guy. You were a great leader, Kuroo. You weren't this selfish. I bet he-..." he paused, "I bet Kenma would never sacrifice his life for someone like who you are now. His Tetsu wasn't like this."

The words hit Kuroo like tons of bricks, but Bokuto already made his way towards the front door, scratching the back of his neck in frustration.

"Argh... Where the hell is the captain I used to work for? I didn't come for this lame guy."

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

The woman stared at her reflection on the mirror. To be honest, she had gotten so used to see herself in long white coat, and now she felt that the fancy red dress she's currently wearing wouldn't suit her.

Nevertheless, she decided to ignore the thought.

Letting out a soft sigh, Natsu curled the loose strands beside her ears, silently admiring her hair, dyed brown and blonde, tied into a complicated bun which cost her 3 hours of her first free day.

The mysterious caller, still anonymous, had instructed her to dress herself up for a big party tonight. Specifically, she had to make sure that no one will be able to recognize her. Thanks to her luck, hair dye and a pair of colored contact lenses got the job done in no time.

The doorbell suddenly rang, snapping her out of her thoughts. Natsu quickly grabbed her handbag and rushed towards the front door, and opened it, to see a man standing outside. He was wearing a suit, the silver tie matched his black-tipped grey hair, and a pair of white gloves covered his hands.

"Hinata-san," he called with a nod of greeting, "My name is Semi. Now follow me, I'll take you to the party."

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

The tall brunet rose from his seat, cracking his fingers as he stared at the pile of documents on his desk with a victorious smirk.

Finally. 5 hours with a skipped lunch and at last he finished it all.

"You're done, Oikawa?" a voice asked. It was his assistant, who entered the room a second later carrying a small tray.

"Of course, Makki. I'm amazing just like that~"

The other man, Makki, huffed. "Here you go." He placed the tray on the desk and picked up the papers.

"Milk bread? Aww... So you do love me!"

"Trashykawa, I'll poison your food."

"Please don't. I'll shut up now."

Makki clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Don't take too long, we're leaving in an hour."

Oikawa pouted, but he didn't dare to say a thing.

"Also, take Tofu to the car. It looks like she'll only listen to you." The man left the office, and Oikawa couldn't help but to frown even deeper.

"Why so grumpy? Maybe I should give him a few days off..?" the CEO muttered, as he swallowed the last piece of his milk bread. He scrunched up his nose and shook his head a moment later, "Ah, he's always nagging me for work. He doesn't need a break."

"I hear that, Shittykawa!!"

Oikawa squeaked in fear, and immediately hid behind his desk.

"Just hurry up," Hanamaki snapped from outside the office. The sound of rushed footsteps could be heard from the room, and Makki let out a tired sigh as he walked away.

Another scoff escaped his lips when the phone in his pocket vibrated. The man swiftly entered one of the spare rooms along the halls, and closed the door. He pulled out the device and frowned even more, answering the call with a forced calm tone.

"Make it quick, I still have work to do."

'Just a warning: Someone will die tonight.'

"... You're not going to tell me who?"

'It's not you or your King, at the very least,' the caller assured, 'But be careful. One wrong move and things will get worse.'

"I'm not doing anything. Anything else?"

'He will be there.'

"... Are you sure? Isn't that a bit... sudden?"

'You don't have to believe me, but he will be there. It's just whether you can find him or not.'

Makki hummed in understanding, running his fingers through his hair as his mind started racing.

'That's all I have to say. Fukurō, out.'

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Natsu doesn't know much about cars, but even a nerd like her can clarify that the one in front of her is a luxurious one.

"What are you waiting for? Get in. We don't have much time," Semi reminded opening the door of the black car. Natsu reluctantly took her seat, and moments later, they were already on their way towards the party.

The first thing she noticed was a small jewelry box, on the top of a large brown envelope. "Alright, let's make this quick. You have to wear the jewelries, because if you keep holding your phone all the time, people will get suspicious. One of the earrings is a camera and the other works as an earpiece, and we also have a microphone on the necklace. Not that dangerous, right?"

Natsu merely nodded, doing as what she was told to. She decided not to voice her thoughts, knowing full well how it won't change a thing. Instead, she only asked, "So what do I have to do?"

Semi cleared his throat, "To put it simply, we want you to gather some information. If our prediction isn't wrong, there will be 7 of them, and lucky for you, you can just ask from one of them. We already have their profiles inside the envelope."

The young doctor pulled out the said files, scanning through them quickly. She recognized none of the names, meaning that most probably none of them is involved in medical department like herself.

"They all used to be a part of a military force who took down Neko two years ago. You have to find out about their current status, at least whether they are still an active officer or not. And if possible, ask them about their knowledge regarding the current criminal cases, especially the gangs' involvement," Semi explained, " Don't tell me you can't handle that."

"As long as you keep your end of the deal, we're good," Natsu replied with a scoff, "Can I ask who is Neko, exactly?"

"I don't know much about him, but he was a famous gang leader who stopped most of the illegal drugs distribution around this area, though later on it was rumoured that he started a fight against the leader of a military force, which resulted in his death."

"Sounds like problem..." she let out a sigh, "Is there anyone I should avoid?"

"Not really. This party celebrates the silver anniversary of the Idaina company, I don't think there will be much threats waiting. However, it would be better if you keep an eye on the CEO, Oikawa Tooru. He's quite a womanizer, but he was known for his sharp instincts. If you make any tiny mistake, I'm quite sure he'll find out."

Natsu only narrowed her eyes.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

The white car stopped in front of the large building, and the driver stepped out almost immediately, opening the passenger's door and bowed as a woman walked out. The driver handed the key to the waiting valet, before he followed the woman towards the entrance.

"Tanaka, I expect you to finish everything before we leave this place. You have 4 hours, make it worth," the woman reminded, fixing her glasses, "I'll distract the Grand King, but you're on your own against his assistant."

"Are you sure you'll be fine alone?" he, Tanaka Ryunosuke, asked back with concern, "Oikawa's quite dangerous."

"Don't worry, he can't hurt me here. That'll ruin his title."

"You got a point there," Ryuu chuckled with his signature grin, "Alright then. We'll part ways as soon as possible, but he needs to see me first."

The two entered the building, Ryuu after the woman, Kiyoko. It doesn't take long before the 'Grand King' noticed them, and immediately made his way towards the pair. Kiyoko eyed him from head to toe, smiling in amusement as she spotted the UFO pin at the corner of his collar.

"Fancy as always, Oikawa-san," she commented, giving him a meaningful look, taking a glance at the dog next to him. The brunet gave her a wide smile, bowing slightly as he took her hand and kissed the back of it gently.

"You look stunning as well, Shimizu-san. How have you been?"

"Good enough, and you?"

"I've been wonderful!" Oikawa gestured his assistant, Hanamaki, to get him a glass of wine, "Say, Shimizu-san. Would you mind keeping me company for tonight?"

Hanamaki left, and Ryuu followed suit. Kiyoko gave Oikawa a smile in return, watching silently as her ex-teammate made his way towards the staff's backdoor.

"Well, I have no reason to refuse, do I?"

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

A man sat on the ceiling bars of the giant dance hall, a laptop on his lap and a pair of glasses resting on his nose. He had short, messy black hair, and his dark blue eyes couldn't appear more calm than they already are.

"What a crowd," he muttered, watching as people from various ages and social status entered the building, some immediately greeted their acquaintances and the other started looking for a drink.

It doesn't take long, though, before he averted his gaze to the side and found someone sitting just a few foot beside him. Their eyes met, and the newcomer gave him a nod of greeting.

"Nice to know that you decided to show up," the first male commented, "Here to see your beloved?"

"...Have you gone mad?" the other, a well-built man with spiky hair, asked back. He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it up before placing it between his lips. The black outfit he wore didn't do much to cover his large figure, and the sharp glare his green eyes gave to the former male only made him more intimidating.

"Maybe I have," he replied, his gaze back on his laptop screen. "It has been a while, Kishi-san."

The man blew out a puff of smoke, "Yes, it has. I see that you're somehow still alive, Fukurō-san. Your reckless behavior usually lead to disasters."

"I'm flattered," Fukurō replied, "Are you here for work?"

"More or less. And you?"

"The same."

Silence fell upon them, Fukurō went back typing on his laptop while Kishi began to prepare his sniper riffle. Which, of course, took the former's interest.

"You're going to use that? Here? In front of him?"

"He wouldn't know anyways." Kishi sent him a side glare, "And you're not one to judge. I know that you also avoided that friend of yours. Two years of silence from you, even when he's one of the two who stayed in this battlefield."

"... Don't you dare lay your hand on him."

Kishi smirked, "What if I do?"

"I'll make that King of yours suffer."

"Fair enough, I guess-..."

"But just so you know, Kishi," Fukurō cut off, pointing his finger at the assassin, "With you being here, you already put your King's life in danger."

Kishi, the 'Crowned Knight', let out a sigh in exasperation, shaking his head as he turned away.

"Such a shame I'm here to guard him, right? At least I did my job, unlike you."

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]