Name: Inferno
Author: HollyEmpire00
Rating: T

Summary: He could feel the heat, the pulse within him; burning him, searing his bones from the inside out. He was falling further down into the inferno, and he almost didn't want to stop himself. Pre-K. Dark themes, mention of character death, some Reisi/Suoh.

Warning: Rated T for language, mention character death, and overall theme of darkness and destruction; lots of fire; mentions of pyromania and slight yaoi themes if you squint. Also, there are slight religious themes that favour Shinto, and a quote from the Christian Bible.

Disclaimer: I do not own K, if I did, would I be here? Everything in this belongs to either GoRA-GoHands, or the King James Bible (you'll see why). Cover made by me from a screenshot from [K].

EDITED: 14/04/13- just a few spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and stuff! Corrected now!

Got this idea from a bible passage I looked at while looking for good quotes on pyromania for an ethics assignment; wrote it in a day. Whoopty-doo, school is good for something!

Enjoy!

INFERNO

_-K-_

He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, 'Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire': and the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, 'Deliver me; for thou art my god.' –King James Bible; Issiah 44:16-17

_-K-_

–Inhale–

The stench of carbon monoxide and nicotine filled his senses as he took a deep, spine tingling drag of his cig, the sharp smell assaulting his nasal passage. A spark flared against paper wrapped tobacco and he his eyes nearly rolled back in his head. Bliss.

–and exhale–

He held the smoke in his lungs for only a few seconds, before he tipped it back and let it go through thin lips. He sighed very slightly, his eyes half lidded. The chain on his jeans jingled as he walked, or, he supposed, trudged down the back alley. Flicking the scorched ash off the end of his cancer-stick, as Yata called it, he tipped his head to one side, stretching his neck lazily. The day had been long; the sun had taken too long to cross the sky and Suoh had wanted to scream. As much as he loved the sun, and hated the cool of the evening air, he felt more at ease when the sun went down.

Somehow, he had managed to slip out of HOMRA without too much drama; whenever he went out, Izumo would demand to know where he was going, when he'd be back. 'He worries too much for his own good', Suoh thought to himself, taking another long drag from his cigarette. The bartender may keep it more a secret than anything, but he was more than a little soft in the head when it came to caring for others. 'One day he'll worry himself to death.' He thought morbidly. Funnily enough; in the case of Izumo, it seemed somehow plausible.

Reaching the end of the backstreet, his lazy, amber eyes found Shizume's western vista; clouds dotted the sunset struck sky, splotches of orange and pink and purple and red mingled together against the blotch of light that was the sun, casting a glowing reflection against the sea. The King stood and watched for a moment, his bright hair fluttering in the seaborne breeze. He started to walk again.

The bar had been cluttered with members today; something about a soccer game on TV. Suoh couldn't have been bothered to sit with his comrades and watch; not since Tatara had… He knew he would only get a headache from the noise, and end up drinking himself into another one for the morning.

A little voice inside his head whispered to him; 'That's not the only reason and you know it, Suoh Mikoto. Why don't you just admit it? You can't stand it, can you? You can't stand sitting there with them breathing around you…'

He paused, his eyes casting themselves left as two kids of skateboards skidded past, laughing and throwing tricks like they had no care in the world. Starting his pace again, he inhaled the sweet, choking smoke once again into his lungs, feeling the tiny flame on the tip bend and flare with the oxygen. Absently, he flicked his cig over the railing to the sea below as he walked, noting how the water washed up to meet the ash in an almost tender embrace.

–'Suoh…we can't keep doing this-'–

Suoh stopped thinking. 'Don't think about that,' he drawled to himself, instead concentrating on the chain jingling by his side. 'Don't get caught up in your head, or your body won't catch up.'

It was true; he couldn't think without his body betraying him. The feelings within him, that burning in his soul, were too intense to leave unchecked. Suoh didn't know if it was just him, or if this was what Genji had felt before he–

–destroyed himself–

This time, Suoh didn't stop walking. He was used to thoughts of the previous Third King. Genji Kagutsu; the namesake for the Kagutsu Crater; the man who had literally–

–burnt himself to ashes; a sword fell, the world around him died in f–

Suoh didn't realise exactly where he was when he came back to his own; instead he blinked once, then twice, and looked around. His amber eyes opened a little more and he gave a deep, resonating sigh. He was at the shrine again. Somehow, every time he went for a walk, his feet somehow drew him to this place more than any other. Standing there, atop one of Shizume's tallest natural points, he breathed out in a sigh as the seaside air rifled through his blood red hair.

Suoh remembered the first time he'd come here. He'd been fifteen years old; just starting his first year of high school in town. That was before they had the high school on the island. Even back then, he'd looked rough; worse-for-wear, despite what his teachers said about fixing his uniform. School hadn't been hard for him by any means; he had simply been bored with it all. Getting up in the morning; going to that hellhole, sitting through hours upon hours of talking, and talking, and talking before finally he'd get to head home, and…for what?

He didn't even use what little he'd learnt back then in school in his daily life, and he hadn't expected to either. He hadn't expected to–

–live–

–make it past high school. Suoh remembered shuffling up the hundreds of steps, along the long, sakura lined path, and through the tall gates, before being faced with the same building that faced him now. It was falling apart; mostly run down nowadays, but back then, ten years ago, it had simply been old; a few paint chips here and there, a creaky beam or two. But still, somehow the tinkling of the bells in the breeze and the quiet, the tranquil quiet of the temple seemed to just get to him like nothing else.

It was different, Suoh supposed. Than home, than school; than anywhere else he could go.

Suoh took a deep breath, dropped the cigarette butt and squashed the smouldering embers beneath the heel of his boot, rubbing the back of his neck in a sluggish stretch. He tipped his head back, raising his arms out like he could suddenly grow wings and fly; to any onlooker he might seem like he was embracing the air.

Sliding his eyes shut, the colours of the dusk sky were lost to him once more, and he was met with only the planes of his mind; the darkness behind his eyelids. He needed sleep; he hadn't been sleeping well as of late; his mind producing dreams he continually denied, things he didn't want to comprehend. He stayed there for endless minutes, relishing in the tranquil quiet of the space. But no quiet lasted forever, and sure enough, it came. Laughter echoed through his mind; thick and flowing, almost like honey dripping from each corner of his mindscape.

'Come now, stop denying yourself, you know it won't do you any good!' The voice chimed, low and silky, yet clicked. Hysterical. The breathy chuckle that followed was enough to make his blood still in his veins.

'Come and see, come and see, come and see!' Images flashed before his eyes before he could stop them, and he fell into a crouch from the force, his hands delving into his hair, pulling and tugging. His head throbbed at the voices, the desperate calling and–

–a crumbling city–

–'-MIKOTO!' –

–ruins. Skyscrapers falling under the heat of–

–desolate, dying world–

–burnt to the ground–

–'-this, Suoh! Your sword will fall; don't do this to yourse-!' –

–screaming, familiar and earth-shattering–

'NO!' He screamed, his eyes breaking open, the amber iris bled crimson with rage. His aura spiked around him, flames of power rippling over his arms, his hands clutching his hair so hard it hurt. The voices grew louder and louder and louder until finally–

'I WON'T LET YOU HURT THEM!'

Flames erupted to life around him, the power bursting from his chest; a roar like gunfire split the air, protective and feral at the same time. The fire leapt across the shrine, fluttering through the air like a serpent's coils. Yet the creature that roared within his mind was not a snake; but a lion, prowling and shaking it's mane like it could sentence perdition. The creature towered over Suoh; whose eyes glowed with a rage that he had kept inside for far too long. In a flash of colour, the Sword of Damocles appeared above him, shining in the night sky. It crackled with ruby lightning, the crumbling statue sword gleaming at its own self-inflicted destruction.

And there he was; the 'real him.' He was Suoh Mikoto; the Third King; the Red King. The man they called a 'ticking time bomb'; the successor to a man who had blown an entire city off the map with his insanity. The same voices that had plagued Genji Kagutsu 'The Violent', plagued him. Spinning around and around and around again in his head until he screamed; waking in the night to find his room on fire; or taking his mind through hell itself when he drank himself into a stupor just to escape.

The laughed came again, louder this time, over the roar of his soul. Another lion, its flames red like blood, exploded to life before him; his mindscape searing, his body soaring from the sheer intensity of the heat it gave him. That was it; the King within him. 'But you can't escape, can you? Not even your precious little blue can help you! You'll die in fire; you'll bring the world down with you, and you'll make them suffer and burn and you'll reduce the world to nothing!'

The two lions thundered their cries, before they leapt at each other, ripping and tearing and scorching each other in a mad, insane dance for dominance over his body. Suoh could feel his body trembling, hysterical laughter spilling from his lips as his hands began to sear, the scorch marks heating, blackened spots on his skin simply boiling his body apart like a bubbling carcus.

'You said it yourself!' The voices echoed, dark and pulsing through his mind, deafening over the roars of his soul's internal war. 'No ash, no blood, no bone! The only way to get rid of me is to fall or to resign your throne!'

Images flashed through his mind again; of HOMRA, of Yata, Izumo, Kamamoto, Eric and Shouhei and Bandou; of Anna. Even Tatara, wherever he was now. They were his clansmen; his chosen, all of them loyal and fierce and determined.

–'-King! We're by your side, we'll back you up no matter-'–

–'…Mikoto…' –

–'-you going, Suoh? Don't tell me you're going to visit him again-'–

–'I'm your vassal, aren't I? I need to keep an eye on you!' –

–'Burn them…' –

–'NO ASH! NO BLOOD! NO BONE!' –

His lion let out a roar that shook his bones; his anger seethed, bubbling and boiling in his veins until he let out his own loud, piercing cry into the night sky, bright with the glow of scorching flames.

'I AM NO COWARD THAT I WOULD ABANDON THEM!' He would not stand by and see his men lose their will, their loyal fires, just because he chose to abandon his throne. He was a King; he had a responsibility, even if he found it unjustified that he be the one to carry the burden. He was a leader; he wouldn't just give up…and he would keep on fighting, keep on burning, even if it meant he'd fall apart.

Even if it meant he'd fall.

An inferno erupted around him as the twin lions clashed one last time; destroying themselves against one another, ripping each other to pieces. The laughter died in his ears as his soul broke through; tearing out the blood-lion's throat in one fatal puncture. The blood-fire leapt and seared and he opened his arms as it billowed towards him, his body accepting the pain and pleasure that the fire would bring. He could feel the heat, the pulse within him; burning him, searing his bones from the inside out. He was falling further down into the inferno, and he almost didn't want to stop himself.

This power was his; and in order for him to keep his throne, he needed to accept that power burnt. It was cliché and stupid, but he truly understood what the phrase 'with great power comes great responsibility' meant. He was Suoh Mikoto; the Third and Red King; he wielded a Sword of Damocles, one that burnt and shuddered and split, a testament to his own rage. No one could stop him; no one could destroy him; no one could tear him apart.

He would be the only one to have that honour.

Another roar, wild and intense split through his mind. The sound was feral and dark and silky all at the same time; and he felt the sudden smooth, gliding cool of a wave crash over him. His lion gave a stunned cry as he was thrown over, the fiery abyss of his soul crashing against the floor of his mindscape. Suoh gave a grunt and a growl, clutching his heart that was beating out of time; too fast, too hard, too-

"Suoh…"

That voice cut through everything, and Suoh's heart stopped beating. He looked up, and saw the surging, beautiful form of a royal blue panther seemingly floating before him, its intense black eyes glinting with a different kind of fire. The panther approached his lion, and placed a proud, large paw on its back, pushing it down against the cracking pavement. The flaming beast thrashed and roared, lashing out with tooth and tail and claw, but the panther stood firm and calm above it. Then with a single loud, thunderous rumble from the cat, his lion went silent as the grave.

Beyond the two elements, Suoh could see the shadow of a man standing at the top of the stairs, a hand pressed almost cockily against his hip. He drew closer, and Suoh watched, his radiant amber-red eyes narrowing slight. A hand clutched his shoulder, pale and stark in the night.

"Suoh…" The voice said again, as silky and strong as the panther's growl. "Calm youself."

With a flash of light, Suoh's eyes widened and his power disintegrated to nothing; his lion burst out of existence in a wave of searing flame. His body slumped, and his head fell low. 'What was this?' He thought desperately. This couldn't be real; he didn't take orders, he was never calm. He was hot-headed, bad tempered and–

"Stop thinking," The voice said firmly, and his mind stopped short as he found an arm wrapping around him, and cool suddenly overtaking every nerve in his system. The sound drifted over him like a cool current, sliding into his ear and making him give a slow blink. "Stop thinking…you've let your anger out, and now it's time to calm your mind."

The anger seemed to drain from his body as quickly as it had bubbled to the surface, his being slumping and his energy dying like a smothered flame. The voices died away and he felt a disgusting cool wash over his psyche. Like the ocean over sand…

Suoh slowly closed his eyes, and leant his head forwards against the strong shoulder of his companion. He gave a low, weak chuckle, his hands limp against his knees. "Munakata…" he drawled quietly, pulling out each syllable to its full length. Of course it would be him…

Reisi Munakata; the Fourth and Blue King; the only man who could match him at every turn and then some; a man of order and sensibility, who took control as the first and most important thing in life. He would be the one to settle his raging soul. After all, it was said that the only thing that could calm a blaze was a storm.

Fire and water; red and blue; king and king…Suoh and Reisi.

The man's arm tightened around him and Suoh could practically feel the waves of cold power radiating from him, a feeling he was beginning to get used to from this man. "You are an imbecilic moron, Suoh Mikoto," Munakata told him firmly, but his tone was filled with a strained relief. "You are pushing your Weismann too far; if you keep this up…I won't be able to save you next time."

Suoh cracked open one amber eye in a tired gesture. He scarcely had the energy to move, but he gave a low snigger, sweat dripping down his brow. "Save me?" He said incredulously. "Whoever said I wanted saving?"

The Blue King did not answer immediately, instead choosing to remain silent for the longest time. Suoh leant against him like a lifeline, the only thing holding him up. When Reisi finally did speak, it was so quiet that he almost didn't hear it, and he registered just how weak the powerful king sounded.

"Sometimes…what you want and what you need are two completely different things."

Cracking a slow smirk, Mikoto shook his head, and turned his head slightly so he could rest easier against the other king's shoulder. "You…" He began, but found that he couldn't say anything more. Reisi was right, as per usual. Most of Suoh's actions took turns for the worst when he made decisions based on what he wanted; meanwhile, Reisi always made decisions based on what was necessity, than anything else.

"I am always right, Suoh," Reisi said with a small chuckle, his hand tightening its grip on Mikoto's black leather jacket. "It is high time you learnt to listen to your brain and not your head."

Suoh finally found the words to say, and he wasn't entirely sure they were the right ones. They were impulsive and quick and probably arrogant, but he said them before he had time to think; "I don't think there's much point in changing the way I think now." The Red King paused, breathing in deeply through his nose. Reisi, however, seemed to have expected the answer, and pulled back slightly to look down at the fatigued King, his violet-blue eyes sparkling with that same cool fire that Suoh knew he would never understand.

"Perhaps," he replied, before he stood and dragged the other king to his feet. "Come now…stand, I can't be dragging you the whole way back to that bar of yours." Suoh was shaky on his feet, and grabbed onto Reisi's arm for support, feeling flakes of charred skin on his right hand falling to the ground, turning to ash in the breeze. Munakata paused, looking down at his scorched hand in silence. They stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity of silence, nothing but the wind whistling through the burnt, blackened trees.

"You're going to fall one day," Reisi told him, grabbing onto Suoh's wrist and holding it up for the Red King to see. Suoh didn't look at it, instead gazing across the space between he and his rival, his friend, his fellow king, with half-lidded eyes. "You're going to fall, and I don't know if I'm going to be able to catch you."

Suoh shifted his arm, sliding his wrist from Reisi's grip and instead grabbing his companion's hand with scorched, heated fingers. He cracked a smirk, one that only Reisi would see in his lifetime; one that he could only show to the Blue King. "I don't expect you to catch me when I fall, Munakata," he drawled, his amber eyes falling shut. "I expect you to kill me before I have the chance."

Munakata knew then exactly what this man was thinking; and in a flash of images too bright, too surreal, too incredible to be real, he found the future.

–another shrine, in a different place; snow covered steps–

–"Sometimes I feel like breathing toxic air."–

–leaning close, breaths intermingling, and simple words- "Do you understand?" –

–flashes of power, heat and chill clashing and retract–

–sword on flesh, lightning crackles, heat surges and then–

–SILVER, BLUE, BLACK, RED–

–sudden interruption; a smirk, triumphant and melancholy–

–"Stop it, Suoh!"–

–a supernova of colours, heat too hot to stand; a Sword of Damocles cracks and falls–

–blood on his hands, their bodies too close–

–"…Muna…kata…"–

Suoh stared at him all the while, his face indifferent and blank. But there was a spark in those eyes that could not be mistaken; deep within those amber eyes, Reisi could see it.

He knew.

The Blue King breathed out, and, unable to help himself, he cracked a smile. Shaking his head, Munakata pulled the king close, reminiscent of another time to come. "I'm going to stop you, you know that, right?"

Suoh Mikoto, the Red King, simply turned his head like a lazy cat, and beyond him, Munakata swore he could see a fiery cat leap over the wooden railings of the shrine. Bells tinkled in the night time breeze behind them, as a low laugh rang out into the air.

"Lemme know how that works out, ne? Munakata?"

_-K-_

'All the King's horses and all the King's men, couldn't put the world back together again…'

_-K-_

Read and Review

~HollyEmpire00