Chapter 1

Two weeks later.

   The jingling of tiny bells caught the attention of most of the people walking along a crowded side street in the heart of Crystal Tokyo. Those who had any sense pulled their purses or backpacks in front of them and kept going. The normal tourists forgot their possessions and window-shopping to gather around and watch as several young ladies danced through the crowd, their long and colorful skirts whirling. One of the three even had a flute, on which she played a lively tune.

   They stopped near the end of the street and danced a fast paced ditty that left the crowd applauding as they bowed. And as quickly as they had arrived, they danced out of sight around the corner. The flute's song faded into the distance and the tourists returned to their previous activities. None of them took much notice of the girl who followed the group a few moments later.

   "Yotaka!" The girl called, breaking into a trot as she saw the three girls turn into an alley.

   None of the dancers looked back. She rounded the corner herself and skidded to a stop, finding herself facing the three as they exchanged their vibrant dresses for more ordinary clothes out of the backpacks lying at their feet. All three turned to look at her. The taller two of the three looked annoyed, however the shortest just appeared amused. She had a pale face, as opposed to the other two tanned girls, jade green eyes, and fluffy brown hair cut to her chin and held back by a blue hair band.

   "Fishu," she said, shaking her head bemusedly and stuffing the rest of her dress into her bag, "I thought we told you not to do that?"

   The girl blushed slightly. "Sorry Yotaka, but I thought you guys had forgotten me."

   "No, no. Did you at least wait?" Yotaka asked.

   "Of course!"

   "Now that's something," the tallest of the dancers with long black hair and brown eyes snorted. "So show us what you got, Iruka."

   Iruka nodded and began rummaging through her pockets. She deposited a variety of wallets and a long, gold chain onto the ground. After patting down her shirt and jeans in case she had overlooked something, she looked around at the girls, her green eyes searching them for any reactions.

   "We've got a good little thief, haven't we?" The last of the three said, brushing her long, dark brown bangs out of her light brown eyes.

   Yotaka rummaged through the wallets, systematically pulling out the money from a wallet, counting it, and putting some of it back. The tallest pocketed the chain.

   "Amre," Yotaka said without looking away from her work. "Put that back."

   Amre grumbled but dropped the chain back onto the ground. When Yotaka finished, she counted the bills in her hand and then divided it amongst the three of them. The other brown-haired lady looked from Yotaka to Iruka and eventually spoke up.

   "What about your sister?"

   "Ah," Yotaka smiled and picked up the chain. "I didn't forget, Taf." She slipped the chain around Iruka's neck and closed the clasp.

   "Well then," Amre said, stuffing her wad of bills down the front of her blouse and slinging her bag onto her back. "We'll see you later, Yotaka."

   Taf nodded, grabbing her own bag, and, following the taller girl back out onto the street, called, "Take care!" She waved and the two disappeared around the corner.

   Yotaka waved. She handed Iruka her backpack and picked up the heap of wallets before heading in the other direction down the alley. At the far end stood a musty old dumpster, partially blocking the view of the street. Yotaka deposited the wallets on top before innocently strolling out into the direct sunlight, Iruka at her side.

   They went along at a leisurely hurry, arriving at a nondescript entrance to an apartment hall a quarter of an hour later. Yotaka punched in their code and they slipped inside. Three flights of stairs later, Iruka opened the peeling white door to their one bedroom apartment. Their flat was sparsely furnished, had little to no decoration, and the same paint on their door was also peeling off their walls. But it was home.

   "Good job today, Fishu," Yotaka said as she went around, turning on all the lights.

   Iruka turned a light shade of pink. "Thanks, 'Taka. I told you I wouldn't mess up."

   The younger sister followed Yotaka into the kitchen, where her older sister began rummaging through the cupboards.

   "I knew you wouldn't mess up," Yotaka said as she searched. "It's just that Amre and Taf were pretty iffy about letting you work. I'm not sure if they'll be all for you going with us when Naomi gets better, but I'll try."

   Iruka crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "But that's not fair! I'm just as good as them, better than Naomi, even! And people are less likely to notice me!" She waved her hands wildly. "I mean, isn't she something like six foot now?"

   Yotaka snorted. "Not quite. Amre's still taller."

   "Well it doesn't matter," Iruka huffed. "I'm still the shortest."

   "You're also the youngest," Yotaka returned curtly, grabbing a scratched metal pot from one of the cupboards and filling it with water. "You for pasta tonight?"

   "Sure," Iruka said. "And I mean, especially if the rumors are true about them tightening security, you guys really need someone who doesn't stick out!"

   "Yeah," Yotaka said, obviously not wholly listening. She frowned as she glanced inside a brown box situated in a corner of the kitchen. "Looks like there's no bread left." She checked the clock above Iruka's head before addressing her sister, "it's not too late yet. If you want, you can go get some more bread, whatever kind you choose."

   "I always get to choose," Iruka said, smirking.

   "That's because you always get the bread," Yotaka returned, handing her younger sister a few bills. "Now be quick. I'll have this done by the time you get back, Fishu."

   "Ah, I doubt it!" Iruka cried, darting out the door. Outside the sun had begun its daily descent. Streetlights flickered on around her as she walked and people hurried past, oblivious in their efforts to get home. Despite the failing light, Iruka still decided to take her normal shortcuts, which led her down a few alleys. She didn't mind much, because, although she looked like a harmless schoolgirl, she had a particularly sharp dagger hidden in one of her boots and a lighter tucked away in a pocket of her jeans.

   Twelve minutes later she slid through the glass door of the bakery, the tiny bell hanging from the top of the door that normally announced visitors hardly moving. Not seeing anyone in sight, she tiptoed up to the counter. Grinning mischievously, she took a quick breath and let out a loud bark.

   "Shit!" A girl cursed, accompanied by the sound of breaking glass. "If that's who I think it is, I WILL KILL HER!"

   "Keep your temper, Nori," chided an elderly man, who came into sight a moment later. He had a mass of gray and black hair upon his head, accompanying a thick set of wrinkles on a relatively small, round face. The man hardly looked surprised to see Iruka leaning against the counter and smirking impishly. "What can I get for you today, Iruka?"

   "We're in need of some bread. Do you think you can help, Mr. Sairensano?" Iruka asked sweetly.

   "Hmm, bread eh?" The man mused, eyeing the loaves on the shelves behind him. "I think we might have that. Anything you particularly want, little one?"

   "I think that one," Iruka pointed at a random loaf.

   As Mr. Sairensano got the bread, a short girl with black hair cropped to the her chin wearing a dirty apron and with a frying pan in one hand came out from the kitchen. She frowned at Iruka, looking her over from head to foot before turning to the man.

   "Dad, where'd you put the olive oil?" She asked.

   "Isn't it in the cupboard?" Mr. Sairensano returned, handing Iruka the bag.

   "No," she stated.

   "Well, then I'll come look in a second." He turned back to Iruka. "That'll be 350 Yen."

   Iruka counted out the bills in front of him before handing them over. She noticed the girl staring at her icily and smirked back.

   "Is that the money your sister stole or has she finally got a respectable job?" She asked coolly.

   "That's uncalled for, Nori," her father frowned.

   "You know it's true, father," Noriko stated. "I don't understand why you haven't turned the little thief in yet."

   "Because Noriko," Mr. Sairensano turned pointedly to face her, "unlike you, I know something about her and her sister. It would be a pity to put such good people into jail, even if they are thieves. Besides, they're part of a handful that actually have some morals. What good would it do to lock them away?"

   "She's a thief!" Noriko retorted. "Morals don't matter, she still steals!"

   "Take care, Iruka," Mr. Sairensano waved at the other girl, ignoring his daughter. "And I mean that. I'm sure you've heard the rumors by now, but it's starting to seem as if they aren't rumors. Good night!"

   "Thank you, Mr. Sairensano!" Iruka called and darted out the door before Noriko could start ranting again. She had never been able to understand how the daughter of such a nice and reasonable baker could get on her nerves like that.

   She shrugged inwardly and took off at a slow trot along the sidewalk, realizing that she had dawdled too long inside. The sun had made its final farewell and now a scattering of stars peeked out from between the clouds. The streets were practically deserted, however she didn't hesitate in retracing her route. Partly because she had immersed herself in thought.

   Two weeks ago claims of five strange women invading the palace had slipped into the newspapers. The stories were vague and given by characters of little credit and few gave the short articles much thought. The Queen herself had given no official report and in fact little comment at all. In truth, Iruka realized, there had been nothing from the Queen for the past two weeks, not even a note from her advisors or guard.

   It was an odd coincidence that the Queen and her court would become silent just as rampant rumors of a hostile takeover filled the streets. There was no proof for any sort of new regime taking over, however there was also little proof disproving the idea. Iruka could hardly imagine something as important and drastic as a change of regime being ignored, especially by the media, who reported every movement of the court.

   Of course there were other rumors due to the lack of information. Some claimed the Queen had become terminally ill and wanted to stay away from the limelight. Some thought the Queen was just taking a well-earned vacation, no need to worry; she doesn't have to report everything to the press. Those who claimed to be in contact with insiders at the palace or who had known someone that had been there stuck to the story of the five women. But this story varied greatly as well. The popular version was that the five had only stormed the palace to seek justice of some sort. Another version went so far as to claim that the five were aliens with wings and claws and that all of the senshi had been brutally murdered, along with the Queen and King.

   Iruka and her sister, however, did not believe everything they heard. Iruka herself had a hard time deciding between which of the stories she wanted to believe and Yotaka avidly advocated that all of them were cooked up by bored conspiracy theorists. And Mr. Sairensano? Iruka placed a lot of faith in the old baker; she couldn't remember a single hunch he had that hadn't proved valid. What did he mean, "it's starting to seem as if they aren't rumors?" Which rumors did he mean by that? Had aliens invaded?

   The girl was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the old woman shuffling down the alley ahead of her in time. She caught herself too late and gave a strangled cry of surprise as she ran into her, stumbling backwards and dropping her bag. Without hesitating she swooped down to pick up the bread, however found herself impeded when she tried to straighten back up; the women was leaning heavily on the back of her head with her elbow. Instinct kicked in and Iruka froze, wondering what sort of thief she had run into who might dress up as an elderly lady.

   "You really should watch where you're going, child," the thief chided with even the voice of an elderly lady.

   "Sorry ma'am," Iruka replied, annoyed but trying to remain polite. "Would you kindly remove your elbow from the back of my head?"

   "Yes, child," the lady said. She removed her elbow, but before Iruka could straighten up properly, she grabbed the girl's hair and yanked her upright, pulling Iruka's face close to hers. "And you will kindly refer to me as Mistress Wolf," she growled and Iruka couldn't help but wince at the old lady's bad breath.

   From her position, Iruka could get a good look at the lady's wrinkles, which were just shy of being grandma level. Her eyes glinted gray in the feeble light from the end of the alley, the same gray her mane of hair must be. It was roughly cut and had a distinctly wild impression, despite the obvious phoniness of her curls.

   Iruka frowned and, having lost all respect for the woman, promptly kicked her hard in the shin. "I don't care who you are! You have no right to treat me like this!"

   Mistress Wolf cursed colorfully and grabbed hold of the girl's arm before Iruka could dart away. Iruka kicked her again, harder but only received a slap across her face in return. Her cheeks smarting and eyes tearing up with a mix of pain and indignation, Iruka used her hard loaf of bread to whack the lady on the head. Mistress Wolf finally let her go and the girl stumbled back a few steps.

   She regained her footing and got into a fighting stance, something Yotaka had taught her for use against would-be muggers. It didn't matter whether you could fight or not most often; intimidation was the key. However the lady wasn't intimidated. She merely laughed and pulled a handful of razors out from one of her long, black sleeves.

   Iruka's eyes widened slightly and for a brief moment she considered the dagger in her boot, however the glint of the razors in the dim light brought her back to reality, away from her emotions. This was nonsense, fighting against an elderly woman in a dark alley. Before she had really let herself think about it, Iruka kicked out, aiming at Mistress Wolf's knees. She caught her off guard and Wolf lost her balance, stumbling back a few paces as the girl pivoted around and bolted from the alley, the bag clutched against her chest.

   "Hey, Iruka!"

   Iruka turned around to see a girl bounding up to her, her impossibly long, dark brown hair trailing behind and hitched up just high enough on the top of her head to keep it from touching the ground. Despite her energy, though, she seemed to be worried.

   "How're you, Kita?" Iruka asked when the girl had caught up to her.

   "Eh, not so good," Kita said. "I got a C on my Japanese paper. And Elanda's been taking out her anger on me again. How're you and your sister doing?"

   "Well enough," Iruka replied. "Yotaka's still looking for a job, though."

   Kita nodded, staring off into the distance. Since she was one of Yotaka's closest friends, Kita knew all about the sisters' life on the streets. She had even offered them the choice to stay at her house in the countryside, but the two preferred living in the heart of Crystal Tokyo; it had always been their home. But Kita never gave up trying to help them and often times would walk with Iruka after she got out of school, like now.

   "You want to go get some ice cream?" Iruka asked brightly. "My treat."

   "Your treat?" Kita returned, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. "You sure?"

   A grin spread across the younger girl's face. "Of course. I just have to pick up some money from the bank, first." She glanced across the street where the beginning of the tourist sector could be seen. "We're not too far from it."

   "Oh Iruka, don't," Kita said with a heavy sigh.

   Iruka didn't heed her. She trotted across the street towards the nearest tourist-crowded alley and, with a quick glance back to make sure Kita was close behind, slipped into the throng. Since she only needed a little money, and quickly, she went for the first unsuspecting back turned towards her, not bothering to take note of who it was.

   Faster than she could react, a hand darted out from underneath the long robes and grabbed her arm. Instinctively Iruka yanked her arm away and tried to bolt, however found herself hindered by another hand that had grabbed the back of her shirt. Startled, she glanced up into the face of her would-be victim and found her gaze locked in place by the old lady's steely gray eyes.

   "Would you kindly not steal my money, child," Mistress Wolf said coldly, prying her wallet free from Iruka's hand.

   Iruka felt her face drain of color. The old lady smirked and began half dragging her out and away from the crowd, towards a side street where there were distinctly less people. Mistress Wolf halted around the corner and turned the girl roughly so that she was facing her, a steel grip still on her wrist. She proceeded to half glare, half leer at the young girl.

   "Whatever should we do with you, then?" Mistress Wolf asked. "We certainly can't allow thieves to run amok on the streets of Tokyo, now can we? Wouldn't much give for a good impression of our beautiful city." She leaned into Iruka's face, her stale breath making the girl gag involuntarily. "The penalty for thievery has been imprisonment for ages, but I'm personally in favor of death. Leaves an impression, you know."

   Iruka shrank back, widening her eyes in fright. At the same time she slowly slid her free hand down towards her impossibly far away boot and the knife concealed there. There was no way that she'd manage to inch her way down and grab the knife without the lady noticing, however. Things called for quicker action.

   "It'd certainly teach the riffraff of Tokyo a lesson, wouldn't it?" Mistress Wolf said, apparently musing more to herself than to Iruka. "If I were to kill a thief in the middle of the street, crime would probably be nonexistent come tomorrow."

   Iruka steeled herself up to make the fast grab for the knife, her hand having reached its limit in its downward trek. Yet as she did, Mistress Wolf seized her free hand, her grin widening. She spun Iruka around forcefully and pinned her arms behind her back, snatching the knife from Iruka's boot somehow in between.

   "I'd especially have good reason for killing you now if you had pulled that knife on me," Wolf hissed into her ear, holding the knife up in Iruka's face and turning it this way and that so that it caught the light.

   She flicked the knife underneath the girl's chin. "Hell, we'll just call it self defense."

   "Wolf!" A much younger lady cried as she came running up the street. "What the hell are you doing?"

   Iruka stared at the lady approaching them with an expression somewhere between disbelief, anger, and amusement. She had beautiful, black hair with blue highlights, which was pulled back into a loose bun hanging down against the base of her neck. Her eyes flashed a vivid blue and her skin was somewhat tanned. She wore a simple black dress ending right above her knees with a cape that made it look as if she lived to run away and a black handbag into which she slid the knife that she promptly grabbed out of Wolf's hand.

   "You have no right to interfere with justice, Raven," Wolf growled, digging her nails into Iruka's arm.

   Raven laughed. "And you have no right to go about dishing out this justice of yours without permission from the Mistress, Wolf."

   Although Iruka could not see the older lady's face, she was sure that Wolf was quite livid. She felt a deep sense of gratitude for Raven's "interference," especially in taking away the knife. She was sure Wolf would've simply stabbed her out of spite by now if she still had it.

   "This justice of mine?" Wolf hissed. "You say it as if my justice is deranged."

   The younger lady simply shook her head and laughed again. "And why might you feel the need to be killing innocent young girls in the middle of a public street, in broad daylight?"

   "She's a sneaky, disrespectful thief," Wolf spat. "She deliberately ran into me last night, trying to steal something from an elderly woman, no doubt, and then proceeded to provoke me further-"

   "I was not!" Iruka said indignantly. "You were the one who provoked me!"

   "See? Absolutely no respect," Wolf stated. "She provoked me further into a fight and then ran shamefully away when she realized I wasn't some an old woman. Then today I just caught her trying to steal from me again."

   "So?" Raven asked skeptically. "That doesn't mean you have to go around killing every girl you see who steals something. Bring her in to the Mistress and let her deal with the snot."

   Mistress Wolf huffed. "I was going to when she pulled that knife on me."

   Raven's eyebrows raised and she focused on Iruka for the first time. "Oh? That can't be excused, not at all." She rounded on Wolf again. "However that's still not a good enough excuse for killing her here of all places. It is still crucial that we keep a low profile for now. We will take the snot back to Mistress and let her deal with the thief."

   Wolf still seemed disgruntled, but didn't make any objections as Raven grabbed Iruka's other arm and the two of them hauled her off down the road, in the direction of the large palace above Crystal Tokyo's skyline. Iruka, a sinking feeling of fear in her stomach, didn't notice Kita come around the corner behind them and stare at them for a few seconds before running off in the opposite direction.

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