~magic~

Growing up with an abusive father and absent mother was a scarring thing, no matter how strong a person was. Eventually, one would break. Saruhiko Fushimi was not an exception.

Nice to meet you, where you been? I could show you incredible things...

When he met Yata Misaki, he thought that maybe he had finally found a release and rescue from the emotional and mental pain he had suffered through for years; having a friend could do wonderful things. Yata's parents and younger siblings were nice (the children were overly noisy at times, but all children are). Yata was a godsend, a person who could free him from his own hell at home.

Saw you there and I thought, "Oh my God, look at that face, you look like my next mistake...

Yata had seemed like a good person when they first met, and his first impression was not a mistaken one. Slowly a friendship developed between the two. What had started out as Saruhiko passing the skateboarding teen and accidently stepping in his path, causing him to crash, which he had thought was just another mistake, proved to be nothing more than destiny working her magic.

So hey, let's be friends, I'm dying to see how this one ends...

When he was 16, he moved in with Yata and they shared a flat. It was odd for their age, but it was a safe haven, for each half of the pair. Stares and confused words of people not understanding how two 16 year-old boys could live together and stay afloat were nothing to years of emotional and physical torture. The present was a lovely thing; it was named appropriately, as it was certainly a gift (in Saruhiko's eyes, anyway)

-madness-

In Saruhiko's eyes, Yata had always been an easy person to persuade. He had done so to the boy several times himself. When Mikoto Suoh had offered Yata and himself a place to "blow off some steam", Yata had not been able to resist, dragging Saruhiko along with him.

So it's gonna be forever, or it's gonna go down in flames, you can tell me when it's over, if the high was worth the pain…

Saruhiko was never comfortable in HOMRA to begin with. His history with flames had never been a positive one. Yata didn't know his past well; he couldn't tell him now, as Yata happily laughed and practically worshipped the devil incarnate, Mikoto Suoh. It reached a point where Saruhiko was nothing more than background noise, now comparable to a stranger one would notice for a few seconds and then forget was ever there, and Mikoto was Yata's new world.

It'll leave you breathless, or with a nasty scar...

Scepter 4's offer was a gift. A chance to be away from the flames he so dearly despised, a chance to show Yata the betrayal and pain he had felt his whole life, and a chance to finally be necessary. Saruhiko would have been a complete buffoon to not say yes. When he told Yata he was leaving, he broke it hard deliberately, the same way he had been broken his whole life: hard, intentional, and without warning. When he scratched out his HOMRA mark, he left a scar, but it was nothing more than a minor one, of absolute unimportance, compared to his seemingly never-ending list of scars in his mind and soul.

**heaven**

Scepter 4 became his new safe house and retreat, at least for a little while. At first, Reisi was an ordinary King who demanded respect and gave it in return. Saruhiko soon learned of his facade; Reisi was what he appeared to be, but loved to play mind games.

Find out what you want, be that guy for a month, but the worst is yet to come...

Quickly after joining Scepter 4, Saruhiko had rose to third-in-command and was Reisi's "favorite". At first, Fushimi seemed to easily fit in, but nothing lasts forever. Saruhiko caused fights and was rude, but all because his mental state was slowly crumbling. Saruhiko started resembling his father in his dress, but even more terrifying was how closely he resembled him mentally, claiming that he wanted control over "everything with flesh and blood".

Darling, I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream...

However, he would never consider abandoning Scepter 4. Scepter 4 was as close to something to hold on to that would keep him grounded as he could get. The order kept him busy, and the strictness kept him constantly thinking about his actions. He had no fear of being betrayed here, as it was next to impossible. He kept himself distanced enough to prevent that.

|sin|

They'll tell you I'm insane...

Saruhiko knew how sadistic and twisted he was, but never showed it to anyone other than Yata. Yata, Yata was the source of all this, he had concluded. Saruhiko loved toying with Yata, it had started with switching from calling him Yata, his preferred name, to his hated first name, Mi~Sa~Ki~. Yata was nothing more than a playtoy now, a release. To say he still didn't care for Yata was mistaken, he still did; it's not easy to forget the first person to show him a tad bit of kindness in the ever-cruel world. He cared for Yata as he always had, but with just a pinch of insanity in the mix.

But I've got a blank space baby, and I"ll write your name...

When the HOMRA mark disappeared and Mikoto passed, he had felt at first saddened, having known what his former best friend must have been going through (Yata had always been sensitive after all), but had then felt joyous. With the fiery brand gone, he could move on from HOMRA, and his burnt past. From there on, he had the ability to finally move on to a fire-free life.

But of course, all good things must come to an end, and a fire will always find a way to rekindle itself.