Note: I apologise in advance for any grammar mistakes & typos. These are not proof-read, sadly.
It was a day like any other, however here he was, staring at his own reflection in utter disbelief. The bustling streets below faded into silence. The glittering night skyline shone at its brightest, however within the dim-lit room he didn't notice either of these facts. One thing occupied his full attention. The fiery red and electric blue aura, that surrounded him and smothered the reality. Taking a deep breath, he tried to fuse them together with all his mentality and concentration, and they did. One moment his aura had been an array of crimson and sapphire, now it was brilliant violet. His heart sped and his concentration dropped. The raging violet dissipated, leaving azure orbs that stared back at him, cradling a foreign emotion deep within them…it was astonishment. The nonchalant teenager had finally given way to the prudent young man. But no-one had to know, life was a masquerade and masks were an essential.
Saruhiko had awoken the next morning with a little too less things on his mind, but that was normal. Slipping out from under the cotton sheets, he attempted to rub the sleep out of his eyes without any success. After a little more dawdling and fiddling on the edge of his double bed, he trudged to the bathroom of his tiny apartment. Although tiny, it fit everything Saruhiko ever needed, which wasn't much. A modern kitchen, a furnished bathroom and the sanctuary that was his bedroom. His bedroom contained a bed, a desk, a tall wardrobe and a small box, hidden away from strangers. An aromatic scent of irises drifted hazily through the air. The house's resident was no longer conscious of its presence, it had grown on him.
Turning on the tap, the shower unleashed an unrelenting assault of steaming water onto the young male triggering a curse from the delicate lips. Despite it, Saruhiko let the burning water rain down upon him, he wanted to wake up, and this was the best way. Unlike others, the cold had no effect on him, he was immune to it, or rather it was another thing that had grown on him, so hot showers were allocated as a method of waking himself up. He quickly ran his slender fingers through his hair before preparing to turn off the tap. From the corner of his eye, Saruhiko suddenly noticed the water drops splashing across his Homura mark evaporated the instant they came into contact with the intricate design. This hadn't happened before, so he was curious. Yes, curious. Slowly he directed his outstretched hand towards his shoulder blade and gently touched the scratched out mark. It felt hot, much higher temperature than a human's skin should feel. He wanted to stand there and slowly figure out the reason behind the sudden change but an alarm snapped him out of it.
Saruhiko named it the "Awashima Prevention Alarm". He was going to be late for work. One thing he absolutely despised about Scepter 4, was the workload. Especially when Seri was around, the moment he clicks his tongue he is demanded back to work by the overly-attentive second-in-command. He had also learnt that being late to the office, could leave a sour taste in your mouth for the rest of the day, though Seri was nice enough to reserve it especially for him. Despite his apathy, Saruhiko didn't enjoy being interrogated, and occasionally threatened, by Seri every. single. day.
Hastily jumping out of the shower, Saruhiko quickly dried himself off with a towel before heading towards his room half-naked. Throwing his clothes on, he grabbed sword before slamming the door of his apartment closed behind him. All the while, he couldn't take his mind off the incident in the shower, and of course the night before. Mindlessly he sped down the winding staircase that led down to the main lobby, managing to miss several steps on several occasions. Saruhiko had some kind of trust in his peculiarly good motor skills. Upon reaching the exit of the building a sudden realisation hit him. He'd forgotten his phone, and his glasses. A groan escaped his lips as he began to trudge slowly up the stairs, back to his apartment. He'd probably just used up a day worth of energy within an hour of waking up.
Finally arriving at the Scepter 4 headquarters, two hours later. Why has it taken Saruhiko so long you ask? Well, the man himself didn't really understand it either. All he's done is painfully climbed the stairs, slipped on his glasses, looked for his phone, found it, put it in his coat pocket and re-descend down those horrid stairs. His chosen place of residence was surprisingly close to the headquarters, about a fifteen minute walk away. His habitual nonchalance clearly wasn't an easy thing to shake off, not that he wanted to. Having said that, Saruhiko had nimbly sneaked into the hallway and was just about to slip into the main office when...
"Fushimi."
"And I was hoping for some peace," the said male mumbled under his breath, immediately dropping back into his usual posture.
"You're late. I clearly indicat-" Seri started but remembered something else, "Munakata wants you in his office."
"Yes, yes. I'll be there." The snail-like journey to the Blue King's office, that happened only to be ten meters away, began.
"NOW!"
Pushing open the oak doors of the commander's office, Saruhiko stepped inside with a sigh. At least he didn't get a lecture today. Maybe he should thank Reisi? Maybe not, it would be too out of character.
"How about knocking next time, Fushimi-kun?" the man seated behind the desk asked.
"Yes, yes." Saruhiko remembered saying this the last time he'd entered without knocking. Oh well.
"Mind if I ask where you were this morning?" Reisi stated, looking up from his jigsaw.
"Things happened."
"I see. A report will be sufficient then."
"What?" the younger man exclaimed lightly. The Blue King was much more troublesome than his reputation had him down as.
"I'm just teasing you, Saruhiko."
"Please do it in front of people then."
The two men had a strange relationship, it would be expected since Reisi was the person who had mysteriously convinced Saruhiko to betray Homura, and his beloved Misaki. The Blue King was a man with the demeanor of a noble but his harsh words never matched his royal tone. Saruhiko thought he was a manipulative man, but that wasn't quite it. In front of other people he was 'Fushimi-kun' but behind closed doors he was 'Saruhiko'. At first he detested Reisi calling him that, but as time drew out, and the emptiness that Misaki left grew, and Reisi's 'Saruhiko' was the only thing that could halt its growth. As much as Saruhiko hated to admit it, the Blue King was a man he needed now that Misaki turned his back on him, or rather Saruhiko turned his back on Misaki.
"What do you need?" Saruhiko asked out of pretend annoyance.
"There's a mission for us," the sapphire replied as it met the azure.
"Us?"
"Just the two of us."
"That's creepy, Reisi." Somehow he could detect the sarcasm in the commander's last comment.
"Of course I'm just kidding. There's been an incident on the outskirts of the city, and I need you and your team to come with me."
A habitual click of the tongue. "What about Awashima?"
"She needs to address the prime minister today, so she is occupied."
"Looks like I don't have a choice then," Saruhiko sighed as he began heading back out the door.
"We'll be departing in five minutes," Reisi added after him.
Stepping back out into the empty hallway, a crazed grin spread across Saruhiko's features. This would be a great chance to test 'that' out on something, or better yet, someone. However, he knew he had to be careful. There's a long list of consequences listed next to the possibility of Reisi seeing it. Plus there was also the other issue at hand. Could he control that power? Was that power even real? Or was it just a delusion his worn-out mind had left him? Either way, that moment had changed Saruhiko, so he wasn't going to let it slip away from him that easily.
All the queries, uncertainties and possibilities whirled within his mind. A small chuckle escaped the lips of the once emotionless Saruhiko. Quickly wiping the maniacal grin off his face, the third-in-command headed off to ready his team.
This was the introduction to the magnificent masquerade that would follow.
Note: This will be continued on a (possible) weekly basis. I love this idea so I've gone as far as giving it a title (that is subject to change). This is a Fushimi Saruhiko-centric fanfiction. A big thanks / dedication to Kayleigh from majinxkayleigh (for lighting the fire of this idea)! I welcome any ideas regarding this piece, they will come in handy!