Disclaimer: If I owned K, no one would be dead.
* Based off the drabble prompt 'disorder' *
It was just another boring day in the offices. Fushimi had been doing nothing other than sitting and going through paperwork, documenting his last few patrols and working through reports to give to Munakata later on in the day. His progress was slow, his attention span not large enough to keep him focused on one thing for too long. Every so often, he'd take a glance out the window to watch the snow fall, or he'd get up and wander the building before sitting down to try and resume his work.
He had just sat back down to re-start his paperwork when he felt a tap on his shoulder. With a bit of a low grumble, he turned in his chair to face the new interruption of his work. Much to his surprise, the King himself had come to visit, but Fushimi gave nothing other than a disapproving look. "Come to pin more of your own work on others? What a noble king you are." His words were cold, but there was no real malice behind them; although he still wasn't too thrilled to be bothered with more work. He already had enough on his plate that he hadn't done yet.
The captain merely laughed, not phased one bit by Fushimi's cold attitude. "No, not today." He replies, moving so that he can face his third-in-command fully. "Though I do want to ask for a little favor." He adds, and the tone in his voice goes serious. The joke has passed and Saruhiko jumps to conclusions, assuming he knew what was coming his way as per usual. "I swear—if you do wind up tossing more paperwork my way, I'll—"
"It's nothing like that, Fushimi." he interrupts, and Saruhiko slumps quietly in his seat. Sure he wasn't completely casual with his King when it came to conversation, but it was rare for his superior to actually sound so monotone and serious. As if noticing the awkward tension he had set in the air, Reisi put a soft smile on his face to show that he really means no harm. "I just have a small favor I want to ask of you, that's all. Why don't we get out of here for a little bit and go take a walk? I'm sure you're due for another 'distraction' from your work." He says, and nods towards the rather large pile of unfinished reports still sitting messily on his desk.
Well who's Saruhiko to refuse? He didn't want to do any work, after all, and if it's just a walk-and-talk then it gets him away from his desk and onto the streets. Of course he was a bit wary to hear what this favor might be, but he'd easily refuse if he wanted to. Fushimi took a minute to think through the idea, before finding no faults. Shrugging his shoulders, the bluenette stood from his seat. "Where to?" he asks as they begin walking towards the exit.
"The inner city. There's something I want to check on."
Something about that sounds fishy, because Fushimi couldn't remember the last time Munakata went out to check something personally. If there were ever a problem, either Awashima or Fushimi himself would be the ones sent out, with a few rookies by their side if need be. It was strange for the King to want to go directly. "Must be a big deal." He huffs, and while he doesn't feel like going all the way into the city, he will if it keeps him away from his desk longer.
However, he's still distracted by this idea of a favor. Munakata hadn't spoken a word about it since walking out of the main building and Fushimi's not so sure he wants to know anymore. Maybe bringing him out to check the city out was the favor? No—he would have just mentioned that from the start. Fushimi was right to think something was up the strange behavior was enough of a giveaway. Curiosity kills his will and he can't help but blurt out, "So what's this favor you wanted to ask?"
He's answered with silence and his brow furrows as a frown plants itself on his face. His tongue clicks against the roof of his mouth, his annoyance beginning to set in. It was okay to drag him out, seeing as he wanted the distraction to begin with, but to drag him out asking for a favor without actually asking for the favor defeats the purpose. And as he wanders the streets of Shizume City with his King, his mind drifts off to think about other things. No longer is Fushimi really paying attention to what's going on around him, but he's thinking about the one thing he hates the most: his past.
The times he's sat on these streets in cold weather like this, the times he did whatever it took to get by on a daily basis; and the worst of them all—the time he spent wandering these streets as either a street rat or a member of HOMRA. All these things had two people in common: Fushimi and—
"Fushimi?" the King pipes in, and the Blue is taken from his trance. He hears a laugh, and immediately jumps to defenses. "What?" the younger asks quickly. "What're you laughing at?"
But Reisi merely shakes his head. "It's nothing. You just looked a bit…pre-occupied."
Saruhiko clicks his tongue again before his gaze drops to the ground. He gives up wanting to be out and about and settles for just wanting to go home instead. Forget going back to the main building, his apartment was closer to the city anyways. They weren't even talking, and Munakata seemed to be pretty preoccupied himself.
However, what Saruhiko doesn't realize is that Munakata has been paying more attention to him than he has led to believe. He wonders if he can even really ask any favor of his clansman. After all, what he would be asking for was a bit extreme, given all of the male's past circumstances. He wants to make sure that there is a good chance of getting what he needs before directly asking for the favor; and right now things weren't looking so well.
For a while, Fushimi had been like this: distracted, lazy, and preoccupied. Don't get him wrong, things had always been this way; but as of late it seemed to be getting worse with rising tensions between fellow clans—one clan particularly over the rest. Even while they were on this walk, he could easily tell how disordered the megane's mind was if he slipped into his own thoughts. The King couldn't be too sure of exactly what was going on in that head of Saruhiko's, but he had a few decent guesses.
Munakata couldn't have one of his best so tattered and broken like this. That's why he'd brought him on this walk. There was one thing he was going to do to prove that Fushimi could settle his inner struggles. Only one factor was missing from the equation, and Reisi was fairly confident that he could soon come into play if they wandered the streets long enough. After all, they were well into HOMRA territory by now.
He's been trying so hard to make Fushimi feel welcomed as a member of SCEPTER4, and he doesn't want his clansman to be held back by negative feelings. If this didn't work, Fushimi might as well be labeled a lost cause to the world; but he wouldn't give up so easily. "Do you have any regrets, Fushimi-kun? With HOMRA, that is." he asks, and he knows Fushimi understands the question, because his body tenses up and he falters in his step. Although he tries to cover it up, there's not much anyone could hide from Reisi Munakata.
"Of course not." He scoffs. "Why would you even ask something like that?" Munakata shakes his head, sorry for asking such a silly question. Strike one.
There's a truth and a lie in every statement and Fushimi's answer is no exception. Of course the sociopath certainly doesn't miss HOMRA or regret leaving, but there may be a certain member that he missed in its stead. "Right, forgive me." He says and continues on. Fushimi gives him a strange look, wondering where he wanted to take that conversation.
Fushimi's rather smart, and he recognizes where they are, and what they're heading towards. "Don't you think we should turn back soon?" he asks, and his brow furrows again as he takes in his surroundings. He doesn't want to be here, and he makes that apparent with the constant glances from the upcoming streets back to his King.
Strike two—avoiding the important matter at hand. Reisi sighs and the sound surprises his companion. Was that frustration he heard? It was unthinkable coming from the usually stoic captain. "I don't see why it would be a problem. We're making sure things are in order, as we should." He reassures, but changes his course anyways. "If it's that much of a problem, we'll head back." He hears a muttered response, but can't make out the words.
Maybe this was a lost cause after all. Things weren't going the way they really needed to, and Munakata could easily speak to Fushimi privately about these matters another time. They could talk things through during a time where Fushimi's mind wasn't a disoriented mess, if that chance ever presented itself. Strike thr—
"Yata-san!"
Munakata continued on, but soon realized his companion had stopped dead in his tracks. "Fushimi." He called out, but never received a response. Off in the distance, the Blues could see the HOMRA member Munakata had been secretly seeking out that day, followed by his own blond acquaintance. And as soon as the two were seen, Fushimi easily begins piecing the puzzle together. "Just what did you really bring me out here for?" he asks, turning to his King with a glare set in his eyes.
A hand comes up to his chest to scratch at the mark on his chest—the mark of complete shame. It burns and itches, and there's nothing he can do to relieve the pain. He can only scratch at it until it begins to bleed. Fushimi's gaze flickers back to the vanguard, his free hand itching to draw his sword and—
"Don't think about it, Fushimi." Munakata warns, and his voice is hard and cold. This is exactly what he came out to the city to prove. This would be the day that Fushimi would drop all ties with the HOMRA clan for good. "I'll ask you again. Are you sure you have no regrets with them?" The added tension immediately answers his question.
Fushimi is still far from pleased, and he clicks his tongue before turning back to the captain. "What are you getting at? You think that you really understand so much? Well tell me this, Captain. Why do you think you can stick your nose in other people's business? Do you really think you understand my situation so well that you can go doing something stupid like this?!" He's out of breath, his voice rising to volumes he didn't realize he could reach. Fushimi has worked himself up, and he's thankful that they're secluded enough to be heard by anyone else.
Reisi simply fixes the glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I understand more than you think I do, Fushimi." His gaze passes Fushimi, stretching to the brunette not too far away. "And I'm involving myself because my third-in-command is distracted with things that have happened in the past that can never be changed." He knows he's hit the bulls eye, because Fushimi immediately tries to set up his guard, retreating into whatever shell he's created for himself. He wasn't going to get off that easy. "You're not serious about this job at all. You think I don't understand the reason you agreed to come to SCEPTER4? It was just an easier way to get your petty revenge; I understood that from the start. When you kept picking fights with Yatagarasu, it only became clearer.
"You're so caught up in your own that you don't even realize how much pain you're putting yourself through. Or maybe you do, and you put yourself through that pain on purpose." He moves so that he's closer to his companion. "Look at him, Fushimi…" he orders, and he pauses to see if the other does so, and isn't sure whether to be relieved or not when he doesn't. "He's completely okay and happy when he's on his own… without you." He doesn't mean for the words to sting, but if that's what it takes, he'll be willing to let them hurt. "There's no point in going out of your way just so you can put him and yourself through that pain. I'm not completely sure as to what may go on in your mind, but I have a fairly good idea, and it's disrupting your normal functioning."
He sighs, not even sure if he's making any progress. "I'm saying this both as your King and as your friend, Fushimi. Stop living in the past, drop it for good and you'll manage much better." With that being said, he turns on his heel and continues on, ordering for Fushimi to follow behind him. This is where he hopes progress has been made, and he's more than relieved when he hears the silent tread of footsteps behind him.
All he wanted was for Fushimi to let go of his past. He spent so much time thinking about it, that it disordered his entire mindset. The past could never be changed, and Fushimi needed to deal with the decisions he made. The only way to check for progress would come from future encounters. He could only hope that Fushimi would pull through for the sake of SCEPTER4…and his own sanity.
They returned to the building soon after that, and Munakata had to practically order Fushimi to go home and relax the rest of the day. After all, he'd just gone through a lot and what kind of King would the captain be if he forced his clansman back into more paperwork?
"Well if it ain't the fucking monkey."
Fushimi's head turns over his shoulder, though his footsteps don't stop. He would have run into Awashima if it weren't for his gaze returning to his front. He'd thought long and hard about Munakata's words that afternoon, and wasn't sure how well he'd manage; but he had to admit the Captain had had a point that day. Seri turns towards the small group of HOMRA members and orders them to leave the area, as it was currently under SCEPTER4's watch.
Some of the members taunt and call out with foul language, but Yata's silent, confused and wondering why everything feels off. Saruhiko isn't picking a fight with him. The Blue is completely apathetic and almost…ignoring the fact that Yata's right there in front of him.
"Oi. Saru." He calls out, and he's fairly sure he feels relieved when the other turns to face him; but he shoves that emotion behind him, because he shouldn't be feeling that way. He hates the traitor. Why should he care?
"Something you want, Misaki?" he asks, and Yata can actually hear that his tone is different. It sounds distant and calm for once, not like he's mentally breaking inside like when they had their usual encounters. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he shook his head, swinging his bat over his shoulder. "Nothing… nothing at all."
"Is that so?" he asks, head lolling to the side? "Move along then. SCEPTER4 has control of the area, and it's closed off to civilians." He continues, voice becoming stern, though his facial features don't change at all.
This sets the vanguard off slightly. "What the hell, Monkey? Not even going to draw your sword? What? Have the Blue's brainwashed you completely now?" A part of him is silently pleading, wanting to know that Saruhiko was still somewhere in there. This wasn't him—he wouldn't believe that he'd be this…strange.
"There's no need." He replies easily, "Unless you're going to pose a threat." He turns towards his Lieutenant, who's also slightly surprised at how well Fushimi was handling the situation. She nods, granting permission to draw his sword if the need arises; however Fushimi doesn't really see that becoming the case.
"Tch—fucking traitor…"
Awashima interrupts the conversation, "If you're done here." She states, implying that they should leave if they know what's good for them. HOMRA complies, although they complain about it the entire way off the site.
Yata looks back one more time, wondering why Fushimi didn't pick a fight like usual. It's strange, and he's not entirely sure how to really take it. Is he happy about it, or is this knot in his stomach trying to tell him to do something otherwise? Something's telling him that if he leaves now, he's never going to see the same Saruhiko ever again. Eventually he gives up on it and leaves with the rest of his clansmen.
For once, Fushimi feels completely normal.
(A/N): Yeah I needed some ReiSaru angst, and this is what came of it. Rate, Review, Fave, etc etc. Criticism welcome!
