Redemption chp.1: Sin
I know I should be updating A Fortunate Mistake instead, but this plot has been floating in my head for a while…it's another Fem!Misaki story, with Sarumi baby. Except this time, this story starts with the child…it's probably also going to get pretty angsty, so get your tissue boxes ready.
This story takes place after the last episode, so regrettably, Mikoto is dead. ;n; Homura is going to be disbanded, since all the movie teasers suggest that the Homura members have all gone off on their own ways. Except in this story, Misaki isn't a mechanic (that's what he looks like from the official teaser art…that red jumpsuit and blinged-out belt…). There is still a lot of debate about whether the Homura members still have their red flames, since it has been pointed out that in the K novel series, Side Blue, it was said that previous Scepter 4 members still retained their Blue Aura after their King had died. It is suspected that perhaps it is the same for the Red Clan.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this plot except for the OCs, the rest of the characters and ideas, including the Clans and powers, belong to GoRa and GoHands respectively. I make no profit from this fan work.
- a month after the mornings after-
"O-oh my god….oh my god…..t-this….this can't be happening…! I-it must be a mistake, yeah, hahaha….that's it, it has to be a mistake…! These things don't always work anyway,r- right…?" a redheaded girl said to herself shakily as she looked at the thing with shaking hands. The white plastic wand in her hand indicated quite clearly that she was positively pregnant. Sighing, she tossed it into the garbage amongst the pile of used white wands. She steadied herself against the bathroom counter, her head down as she tried to take it all in. That had been the tenth test she tried, and all the tests she tried before indicated that she was, without a doubt, pregnant.
It had been a month since her one week "disappearance" when she suddenly showed up at the HOMRA bar shortly after Suoh Mikoto's death. She hadn't answered her phone, and the remaining members of Homura couldn't find her no matter where they checked. Naturally, they were both worried and furious when the russet haired girl burst into the bar that day all out of breath and in tears. After a sound scolding from Kusanagi, Misaki slowly explained what had gone on those seven days that she had been missing…in very vague terms. She also told Kusanagi that she had been feeling sick recently during this month , and the blond man had paled for a while.
"I suppose this is indeed a tough time for all of us, and I realize all of us need some form of comfort, no matter what the source is. I don't fault you for what you did, rather, I'm worried for your health. Yata-chan, you should probably go to the store and get yourself a couple of pregnancy tests. I know you feel it's awkward, but right now is not the time to run away. You need to know what to do now so you can plan ahead, Yata-chan. I want you to know that no matter what the result is, we won't judge you or hate on you. I want you to promise me that if you no matter if you are pregnant or not, that you'll come to us for help. Ok?" he lectured gently yet firmly.
"O-ok…." She had whimpered quietly before snapping back to her usual self and bullying Kamamoto into buying the pregnancy tests for her. Of course, he was met with a fair share of dirty glares from female cashiers, despite his summer month good looks. Now Misaki sat down on the floor of her bathroom, still numb from realizing that she was pregnant. 'What should I do now? I know I need to tell Kusanagi-san and the others, but it's already been a month and three days, and still there isn't even a word from him….' She stared at a wall blankly before slowly getting up, and making her way to the kitchen where her phone sat. With shaky fingers, she dialed Kusanagi's number and recapped to him what had transpired in the bathroom. After a moment, a sigh could be heard, and the blond man finally replied in a tired voice, "Come to the HOMRA bar, Yata-chan. There is something I need to tell everyone, and we also need to decide what we can do for you and the baby." "O-ok….I'll see you in a bit." She replied quietly. "Mm-hm. See ya in a bit, and don't skateboard. It's dangerous, you can lose the baby."
- The bright morning-
"Yes…yes, that's what I ordered. It's ok, as long as it is ready by tomorrow evening, I shall be coming to pick it up. Yes, thank you." Satisfied, a blue-black haired boy hung up. Although there were a few things that weren't going so smoothly, it seemed that it would be resolved by the time he needed it. Nothing could ruin Fushimi Saruhiko's mood as he happily tucked a velvet box into the folds of his jacket and made his way with brisk steps to the florist to check on his order. He had finally done it! Tomorrow night will be the night that all his wishes came true, and then he would never have to pass his days pining for his dear Misaki. That's right, after that one week of Misaki, him, and a private room last month, he was certain he had made her his. Now all that was left was to seal the deal with marriage…and he was quite confident that she wouldn't deny. After all, she did not come and complain or rant at him…usually his fiery crow would be stomping mad already is she was displeased. He certainly did not want to ruin his chances by teasing her, so he decided to plan one step ahead and prepare for a marriage. He assumed her silence meant she was ok with it…she's just too shy to take the initiative! Although it was an absolute torture to hold himself back and not just bombard the girl with affection and gifts right off the bat, he knew she needed more time to herself to sort things out and come to terms with the inevitable. 'Cute, awkward lover Misaki…. Don't worry my love, you won't have to wait any longer!' Satisfied, he continued with his plans for the day.
"U-uh….umm…oi." Misaki grunted silently as she pushed open the HOMRA bar doors and walked in slowly. All the eyes of the remaining members (who happened to be the same people close to Mikoto back when he was alive) were fixed on her, and there was an awkward silence that permeated the room. "Yata-chan, thank goodness you're here. Now we can start discussing our problems." Kusanagi stated with relief. He was so worried that the redhead would meet with some kind of accident or worse…be kidnapped again. "Umm, ok…" she sat herself down quietly, while the rest of the Homura members turned their attention back to the blond man at the head of the table. What other problems were there besides hers? "Alright, first things first. I…don't really want to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm guessing you guys already know, right? The Blues have begun to move, now that our King is gone. I'm pretty sure you've all run into some trouble yourselves, right?" He looked around, surveying for the different reactions from the members. "You mean how the Blues have tried to arrest us so many times for some random crimes that certainly could not have led to arrest?" Dewa asked in return, not sure if that was the problem Kusanagi was hinting at.
"Yes. And you all know the reason for that, right?" the blond man asked again, met with some knowing stares, and others drawing a pure blank. "Yeah, we were never cool with those jackasses and now they're just getting back at us for all those times we proved them wrong. They're just a bunch of fancy-ass pussies who can't take being proven wrong." Bandou huffed indignantly, angry at the thought of the Blues, those self-righteous bunch ho think of themselves in such a high-and-mighty manner when they're no better by coercing one of their own to join their side. "That, and also because we have Anna. Munakata has had his eye on Anna ever since he became the Blue King. You all know that the Blues fancy themselves as some sort of guard team that 'regulates' strains, right? Now that Mikoto is gone, that sly bastard wants to take our Anna-chan into 'custody'. It's true that he came and spoke to me of it before, even promising to fund all of Anna-chan's schooling from grade school to university. However, I'm skeptical of that offer…he must be planning on testing Anna-chan's powers. What do you think, Anna-chan?" Kusanagi looked solemnly at the white haired girl.
"….I don't want to go with Munakata-san. It's only going to be test after test, like at that strain facility…" she replied without emotion, but her eyes betrayed what she really felt inside. "Hmm~ is that so? I see…then not going it is. Next problem we have…I know you are all aware of how Yata-chan had been missing for a week one month ago." He again, stared slowly around the room, taking in each member's reaction. "Hmph. They certainly have interesting 'causes'…not so sure if they're as uppity and righteous as they like to pose to be. Not with what that little bastard decided to pull. I can be a coward, yes. But even I am not jerk enough to pull off something like that. I can't stand anyone who mistreats a lady like that." Chitose spoke up, surprisingly. "So…what….what happened….?" Rikio spoke up uncomfortably. It was clear the tanned man did not really want to find out the results of the ten pregnancy tests he was bullied into buying. Of all the things in the world, he never, ever thought there would be a day where he'd need to buy pregnancy tests for Yata Misaki, the kid who had bullied him since childhood, even though he was the older one. Well, to say "bullied" is not quite the right word, since she also stood up for him. She was a spirited, gutsy spitfire, and never in a million years did he think he'd see the day she became vulnerable like this.
"Yata-chan, do you want to be the one to tell everyone, or do you want me to say it?" Kusanagi asked, concerned about the redhead's emotional state. He didn't want her to feel guilty or like he was blaming her if he explained it, so he'd rather turn the spotlight to the redhead instead. "I can…uhh….explain. Um, yeah. Thanks." Misaki replied rather awkwardly. During her one week disappearance, she hadn't known the Blues had tried to pull all this arresting stunt. She thought it was only recently. Now she felt doubly guilty, like some sort of betrayal to her clansmen, to come out with this kind of news. "O-ok, you guys remember that one w-week when I was missing, right?" Misaki started, beginning to panic a bit. It was really embarrassing to have to admit this! "Uh-huh. You were kidnapped by that snarky little bastard."Dewa stated, everyone's concerned look now trained on her. "Um, uh….yeah. T-the kidnapping…uhm, s-so….ok, d-don't panic, guys! Like, uh…." She paused, her mind had suddenly blanked out on her. Despite that, everyone else had remained calm, and gave the crow a silent moment to collect herself, no matter how long that silence went on for.
After what seemed to have been ten minutes of silence, she began again, "Umm…so, during that kidnapping…Saruhiko and I…we…..uhh…well, you guys know what happened…and umm, now, I'm p-pregnant." She explained quite bluntly, her eyes shut in a grimace and her face red, as if she expected them all to slap her or something. When nothing happened for a while, she slowly creaked open an eye, and then the other. All the members of Homura had slightly surprised expressions, save for Anna, who remained emotionless-looking. They had all known what had transpired during that week-long kidnapping, and had already somewhat expected this to be the result. However, hearing the redhead admit it was still a bit of a shocker. "Tch! That cheeky bastard has really done it this time! I say we stop putting up with the Blues, go to their fancy ass mansion, beat up a few of 'em real good, and leave them sobbing. And one more castrated for his cheekiness, and you know who I mean."Bandou burst out, unable to contain the anger for all the injustices his clan had to endure because of the Blues.
Granted, other underground gangs and remnant strains have tried to pick fights with them and get revenge for the past instances where they ruined whole drug cartels back when Mikoto was still around. Of course, the Homura core consisted of many able fighters themselves, even without the red flames, they were still a group to be reckoned with. These gangs and remnants soon found that out first hand, though these, too, were far and few. When Homura did a raid, they left no blood, no bone, no ash. Only a few gang remnant members or remnant strains survived, probably because they turn tailed and ran as soon as the gangs were being beaten. The Blues were a sore topic, since they are the only ones currently a real threat to the remnant members of Homura. Kusanagi held up a hand to signal that Bandou needed to stop and Akagi quickly pulled his buddy back, reassuring and calming him down. "I know you're ticked off, Bandou. But we still have many problems, such as Anna being targeted by them, and now Yata-chan's condition as well. We can't afford to have any more people targeted or injured, so we're clearly not going to do what you just suggested. We need to lay low for now, until they've forgotten us or stopped trying to find us. But I want to know what Yata-chan plans to do first, since she is in a more dangerous situation than any of us." The sand-haired man turned to the russet-haired girl.
"E-eh!? Me? Why? I mean, I know I'm pr-pregnant…..but, nah, it's gonna' be ok. I'll scrape by somehow, even though I'm low on money and—" the redhead was stopped when she was met with a very pointed look from Kusanagi. "That's not what I meant, Yata-chan. I mean what do you plan to do with the baby? Keep it? Abort it? Even if you abort the child, we won't judge you." "A-abort it!? No way! I can never do something so cruel like that! I-it's not…it's not this baby's fault. If there's anyone at fault, it's that damn monkey! Even thinking about him makes me so angry! Ugh!" Misaki spoke up, anger rising again at the thought of that week. Why did she do what she did, again? " I see. So you plan to keep the baby. Just let me warn you first: it's going to be a really tough road especially because you don't have enough money to buy food and necessities during the later months of your pregnancy, when you can't work. Don't worry about that, though. We do have enough money from all of our previous 'operations', so I can help you out as far as money goes…but you have to be prepared to move somewhere discrete and far away. Like I said before, we all need to lay low. That means almost every one of us—" he made eye contact with every member now, to make sure they understand that he means all of them. "—will have to leave Shizume City, and stay far away until things calm down. Scepter 4 can't reach us outside of Shizume City, but just to be on the safe side, I want you all to stay away from the neighbouring cities as well, in case they decide to investigate those cities too. Any questions? And no, you cannot ask whether there is a choice." There. It was finally out there. The official though not spoken disbandment of Homura.
"Kusanagi-san, I get what you're saying, but you know how we came together…it's because we don't have anywhere else to fit in. I don't know where we're going to go. To be honest, that's what's worrying me right now." Shouhei (Akagi) spoke up honestly. "I thought that would come up…I've got some ideas about where you should go, if you all want to hear." The spectacled man surveyed around the table before starting, "Anna will go with Kamamoto to his home village, it's far enough. The Blues will try to capture me first, but they won't suspect Kamamoto that quickly, since he has such drastic changes between seasons. It will be hard for them to pinpoint him for arrest. Chitose already has a job as a salesman and you're attending university, right?" A quick nod from the womanizer, which shocked the whole table. They didn't know Chitose was actually in a university. "Good. Do your routine stuff like you always do, so the Blues don't suspect a thing. Just don't come here anymore, I will be gone. I'm leaving the bar to Dewa in the meantime. You have a very smart, business-oriented brain in you, you can probably run this shop well. Just make sure you change the bar to something else after the Blues have had their initial investigation. Trust me, they will do that. My intel is almost never wrong about this. They won't find anything, because I've already moved and cleaned out anything from Homura during this month. Once they've had their search, change the bar into another type of shop, maybe a café or boutique, whatever you like. Just make sure it's tasteful, and DON'T TOUCH MY BAR. The imported bar counter STAYS, alright? I'll be back someday to reopen HOMRA bar, but in the meantime, look after it, ok?" Dewa nodded, mute with tears brimming at the corner of his eyes. Kusanagi only smiled back sadly.
Dewa knew all of this was a farce. Kusanagi really meant to start him off on a business of his own so he wouldn't be stuck with nothing. After all, he hadn't really had plans to attend university because he had little money, but he was considering an accounting degree. Taking over the business would get him some cash, and in a year or two, he'll probably be able to afford university…that is, if Chitose won't leech off of him. "Bandou and Shouhei…do you guys mind helping out at my friend's bar a few cities over? It ain't easy work, but at least you guys are guaranteed a living wage[1] and the Blues can't get you there. My friend owns that bar, so he'll know not to spill anything if any Blues do wander there." He looked at them for an answer, which took a while, as both of them had to silently debate among themselves. "Umm….where is this bar? I was planning on going back to my hometown and working at my family's produce store, and having San-chan live with us, too…." Shouhei replied sheepishly. "Oh, is that so? I'm glad you guys already had a plan…my friend's bar is in the Entertainment Disctrict of Hakone town, if you guys wanted to know." At this, both the boys' faces lit up. "Whaaat!? No way~! Hakone is our hometown! We can work at both places!" Shouhei exclaimed happily, ever the carefree boy that he was. "Ahh, that's a great relief. Next is Kosuke and Eric. Do you guys have anywhere you want to go?" Kusanagi asked, a lot less strained, seeing as the members were willing to go with what he suggested. He had expected brimstone and hellfire for even suggesting they leave.
"I'll go wherever Kosuke goes." Came Eric's resolute reply. The blond man turned to look at Kosuke for confirmation. "Mm. I guess it's ok to work at a farm or an animal shelter or something…but I haven't the slightest where I'll go." The orange haired boy replied. "If that's so…hmm, I can ask one of my associates who runs a farm a few cities over to take you guys in." "That…sounds like a plan. I'll have a go at it." Kosuke replied firmly, sparing a glance at Eric, who silently nodded in agreement. "Hm. This accounts for everyone except Yata-chan. Yata-chan, you should probably move to some small, quiet village so you can nurture the baby in peace without being pursued by the Blues. Is there any place you have in mind?" the blond man tensed again, weary but worried for one of the younger but more volatile members of his clan…well, remnants of a clan, anyway. Dismally, the russet-haired girl shook her head. "I can probably go back and live with my Ma, but if the Blues chase after us….he will probably look there first. Besides, I don't think I want to go back so suddenly, after leaving like that….Ma must be pissed as hell…and if the Blues do chase all the way there, I don't want to drag her into my troubles." The remaining members looked grimly. They all knew who she meant by "him", it was no secret.
"…..I see. I'm glad I've prepared an extra place that will suit our needs. I have a tiny cottage that I keep as an additional source of income in the village of Momoiro[2]. Surprisingly, it is only half an hour's drive from Kamamoto's home village, and it's by the sea. You can catch a ferry ride to Okinawa in case you need to get away quickly. Since you are most likely to be pursued, you will be leaving tonight. There's still a few hours until sunset. For now, go back to your apartment and pack your things. Remember, only the most important things for now. The rest we can send to you gradually, if you need them. Understand?" Kusanagi explained with the utmost seriousness. There was no room to argue, and the redhead heaved a sigh and nodded. Satisfied, Kusanagi bade everyone to leave and prepare for their own departures, though most of them would be leaving a week after the crow.
Misaki loitered around her own apartment, taking in everything one last time. Who knows how long she'll be gone? Maybe she'll never come back again…sure, her apartment was no Shangri-La, but it was her very first "own place" that she managed to get. Well, Saruhiko and her. But it was time to put away the past, and be on her way. She managed to pack all that she needed within 45 minutes, and no later, Kusanagi and the rest of the gang had arrived at her apartment to help her on her way. "Are you all set, Yata-chan?" the blond man asked, receiving a muttered "yes" in response. The russet-haired girl held a black sports bag bulging with belongings, and her special black Homura hoodie. Her usual beanie was gone, her red hair covered by the hoodie's hood instead. "Alright, let's get in the car first, as we go along, I'll explain." He motioned for everyone to pile into the blue van. As Dewa started the engine, Kusanagi looked around cautiously before beginning. Good, there were no Blues, and the sky had completely darkened. It was already 11pm.
When the van was ell on the highway, Kusanagi began to speak. "Okay, Yata-chan. Once we get there, we will enter my cottage with you. You can drop off your stuff, then I'd like to introduce you to Mari-san. She is the Madam[3] of a local teahouse where you will work until you are too pregnant to do so. This way, you can earn some money for expenses later. Kamamoto will be looking after you and checking on you from time to time, but he won't be here all the time, alright?" "O-ok…by the way, what will I be doing at the teahouse?" she asked warily. She hadn't much experience with fancy, traditional Japanese establishments. "You'll be waitressing, like you do in your part-time jobs. I've seen how you are, when you helped out at the HOMRA bar. If you kept your temper down, you actually make a very good waitress, did you know that? Anyway, just keep a low profile and do your waitressing…they might also make you do odd jobs, since it is a teahouse. You might be asked to look after the dancers a bit." "W-what? Look after dancers…? What kind…!?" Misaki was a little bit worried at the mention of dancers.
"…Traditional Japanese dancers. You know, like geishas? You might be asked to run a few errands for them around the teahouse. Don't worry, you won't be dancing or doing anything of the like." The blond man reassured her. The rest of the 2 hour ride went on silently, and Misaki dozed off to sleep as Shizume City became a mere speck in the distance.
- End of Chp.1 –
Personally, my theory is that the powers are based on the highlighting quality which the King had given to his powers. For the Blue Clan, it was organization and law, so as long as the organization (Scepter 4) existed and its members continued to follow the rules the organization set up, and work in the belief that "law and order is what makes this world", then the powers remained in the clansman. In the Blue Side novel, the remnant Scepter 4 members, although they still had their powers, continued to frantically look for the next Blue King, which to me reflects that they believe in their organization and what it stood for. Consequently, the belief that there needs to be organization in society, also meant they believed they needed a King to finish the organized hierarchy.