Disclaimer: K- Project along with its characters belong to GoRA and GoHands. This fanfic is purely my creation, including the new storyline and original character/s.
It has been almost a month since the Red King's demise at Ashinaka island.
Within that time frame, Homra had managed to get by despite the loss of their leader and nakama due to their resilience as well as Kusanagi's unwavering guidance. Of course, there were a few skirmishes that occured because of some people who made a terrible mistake in belittling the Red Clan, thinking that the loss of their leader had also meant the loss of their powers.
Economically speaking, Homra was doing okay since they've managed to keep the bar going. But there's just this huge, gaping hole in their lives that could never be replaced by anyone else except by Suoh Mikoto and Totsuka Tatara.
In addition to the emotional pain that the clansmen were going through, all of them were placed under surveillance by Scepter 4 together with the local police department because as of the moment, they were a group of dangerous, volatile Strains.
Leaderless. A group of people without a King cannot be classified as a clan.
What's even more infuriating for them is the involvement of Scepter 4, whose leader is the murderer of their King. Despite Kusanagi's attempts to explain what really happened at Ashinaka island, the idea that they're being kept under watch by the very group whose leader had killed their King left a bad taste in the mouth, most especially for Yata Misaki.
Therefore, being the Red Clan's temporary leader, it was Kusanagi's job to keep the business rolling and everyone else in check. As Kusanagi polished the wineglass he was holding, he let his mind wander back to that time when Awashima Seri came to the bar a day after Mikoto's death.
"Izumo-kun, how are you holding up?" she asked softly.
"I'm still at a loss for words, Seri-chan. I feel like I'm in a nightmare that I just couldn't wake up from." he said dully.
A full minute had passed with neither of them talking. "Still, I believe that a sincere 'thank you' is to be given to your Captain. For being able to do the right thing despite the difficulty of the task ascribed to him." Kusanagi said with a sigh.
"I'm not sure he would even want to be thanked for that. But thank you for the thought, and for understanding. Your boys might raise hell if they heard what you've just said." Awashima said.
"Yeah. Since yesterday, it's just damn difficult to keep them from attacking Munakata-san, or any member of Scepter 4 in particular."
The woman straightened up slightly in her seat. "Is it true then? Despite losing your marks, you still have the ability to use your powers?" The man shrugged, running his long fingers through his hair. "Apparently. I discovered it by accident after my lighter ran out of gas."
"So you're still a chain smoker. You know it's not good for your health, and you're not as young as you used to be.." Kusanagi gave her a rueful smile. "Ouch. That's cold, coming from you, the Cold-Hearted Woman.." Awashima knitted her brows together and pouted.
Neither of them spoke again for a couple of minutes, lost in their own thoughts. It was then that Kushina Anna entered the bar. Looking baffled at their silent tableau, she stopped by the door and blinked. "Anna-chan! You're finally here. I was beginning to get worried." Kusanagi said.
Anna approached them slowly, then looked expectantly at Kusanagi. "Ah, you want the usual drink? One moment, madamoiselle."
"Ano, you're not really fixing an alcoholic drink for this young girl, are you, Izumo-kun?" Awashima asked, her tone worried.
"Of course not! What do you take me for? It's just her favorite aka jūsu, a fruit juice that uses purely red-colored fruits as its ingredients. And you haven't told me what you'd like to drink, Seri-chan." Kusanagi said.
"If this young lady's having her usual drink, then I will also have mine. If you still remember it?"
"Hmm, let's see. Martini, four parts gin to one part vermouth with five scoops of anko, am I right?"
"Yes! Right down to the last detail. How did..?"
"Comes with the job. You have to remember a customer's preference or else they might look for another bar which caters to their tastes."
"I see. I'm reasonably impressed. Also, why don't you take a seat beside me, Anna? That way we can enjoy our drinks together."
Surprised at being addressed directly by the Blue Clanswoman, Anna blinked twice before taking a seat next to her. Pretty soon, Kusanagi finished mixing the two drinks and set it down in front of them with a flourish.
"Here you are, aka jūsu and martini. Enjoy! By the way, Seri-chan. You haven't told me yet the reason why you came here."
Awashima looked up, frozen in the act of mixing the anko into her drink. "Well..." she dawdled, giving the girl a side glance.
"Don't mind her. She's not like the rest of Homra, if that's what you're worried about. She won't go telling them anything you've said, either. Ne, Anna-chan?"
The young girl nodded once, then sipped at her juice with a deadpan expression.
"Alright, I trust you. The reason why I'm here is because Captain Munakata had asked me to come see you."
"Me? Why me specifically?" he asked, flabbergasted.
"Because he knew that the responsibility of looking after the Red Clan would fall to you, Mikoto's second-in-command. Therefore, he requested that I talk to you for two reasons."
"Okay, go on." Kusanagi said, picking up a wineglass and started polishing it.
"First, he requests that any official interactions between the Red and Blue Clans must be conducted through both of us, since our positions are somewhat similar. Also, though it might be difficult for you to accept this, but his involvement in your King's death is causing him a great pain, which is why he would prefer not to see any member of the Red Clan until such a time that a new King is chosen."
Kusanagi gazed up sharply from the wineglass he was polishing. "A new King? You don't mean..?"
"Yes, that matter being my second point. He wanted you to be informed that the Dresden Slate may select a new king anytime soon, which is why he wants all of you to be prepared when that happens."
Kusanagi and Anna looked at each other worriedly. "But, if the Slate decided to choose one right now, not a single member of Homra would accept him. We're still grieving for Mikoto, after all."
Awashima sighed heavily before taking a long draught from her drink. "I know that. Captain Munakata knows that, too. Which is why he's asked me to inform you in advance in case that scenario really happens. That way, you could give your boys a heads up, preventing any untoward incidents.."
"Huh. I can already guess what their reactions will be, but I'll tell them anyway. What a pain. Is the selection of a King really that unpredictable?"
"From what Captain Munakata's told me, yes, it's impossible to know who and when the Slate would choose a new king. It seems that only the Gold King will know the precise moment of the selection, but as to the identity of that person, even the Gold King wouldn't know who it chooses."
"I think I'm beginning to understand Mikoto's feelings when he was chosen as our King. Of course, we all thought that it's a given, but to learn that being chosen was purely at random, it must have pissed him off a lot."
"I agree. And the burden of having the Sword of Damocles looming above your head must be terrifying, knowing that you have this massive destructive power which might set off anytime."
Anna surprised the two by speaking for the first time since she arrived. "Mikoto did the best he could with that power. Protecting us.." she trailed off.
"You're right, Anna. That's kinda similar to what Totsuka-kun said before." Kusanagi said sadly.
Awashima sighed, feeling the deep sadness that the two Red Clansmen shared. "I have no right to be here, being a Blue Clanswoman. But I just had to see how Izumo-kun was doing," she thought, guzzling the remaining contents of her glass.
"Well, Izumo-kun, Anna-chan, I've overstayed my welcome. I did what I set out to do, so it's time for me to leave. Thank you for the drink and for hearing me out." she said, rising from her seat.
Kusanagi put down the clean wineglass he was polishing and said, "Thank you for stopping by. It's always a pleasure to see you. I'll see you out."
"You don't have to do that. And it was nice meeting you, Anna. I'll bring you some anko mochi when I come back."
"You're coming back soon?" Kusanagi asked.
"Anko mochi..is it red?" Anna inquired, curious.
"Yes, I'm coming back again sometime this week. I have to keep checking up on all of you as long as you still don't have a King. Just following orders. And yes, Anna-chan. It's red on the inside. I think you'll like it."
Rushing over to the door, Kusanagi held open the door as Awashima passed through. Once outside, she was pleasantly surprised when he hugged her tightly.
"I'm really glad you stopped by, Tundra Woman." he whispered in her ear, causing her to blush crimson.
"Well, whaddaya know, the Tundra Woman isn't so cold-hearted after all," Kusanagi thought, smiling at the memory. She had kept her word, visiting Bar HOMRA twice a week while bringing different kinds of anko-related snacks for Anna which made him gag inwardly.
At first, most of the Red Clan members regarded her with suspicion; but after doing his best to explain the reason for her regular visits, they had tolerated her presence with an air of resignation.
As for the delicate subject which Awashima told him about, Kusanagi chose only a few key members to share his concern about the possibility of having a new King. The idea was vehemently rejected, but that was to be expected.
How could they serve a new King when their loyalty will be always be with Suoh Mikoto?
During the discussion, Yata actually broke down in tears, saying, "There won't be another King as good as Mikoto-san!" while the rest of them looked troubled.
The door of Kusanagi's bar suddenly opened, revealing a disheveled Yata who was holding what looked like a paper bag from his favorite restaurant located nearby. Following closely behind him was Kamamoto, looking stressed out.
"It's about time you boys came back! What took you so long? And why do you look like that, Yata-chan?" inquired Kusanagi. The boy just 'tsked' and sat down on the sofa, inspecting the contents of the paper bag. It was Kamamoto who answered him.
"What else, Kusanagi-san? He got into a fight with Saruhiko, again."
Author's Note: Uwaa! This chapter took waaay too long to wrap up! It's because I focused on giving my fanfic a backbone, so to speak, in the form of Awashima and Kusanagi's conversation. By the way, I'll be shipping the usual pairs that are found in the anime, (ex. SaruMi, ReiMi, KusaAwa, etc.) and I will throw in an original character later in the succeeding chapters. A little heads-up, I am learned in the magical art called yaoi, so expect that kind of aspect when it comes to the guy pairings. Leave a review for me as well, because I will take any suggestions into consideration. That's all for now, see you in the next chapter!