"Chitose, I need you and Eric to go gather some information for me." Kusanagi had requested, as HOMRA's womanizer glanced up from his phone and frowned slightly.
"Why us? Shouldn't Akagi and Bandō go?" He asked, as the blonde shook his head slightly.
"They need a break. It's been a week since they've had some time to themselves." Was the man's reply, as the male sighed and shut off his phone.
"Why us?" He asked, knowing it came off badly, but not meaning to, as the right hand man let his shoulders slump slightly. "You know Eric and me have never really gone on a mission before. He's always with Fujishima."
"It's because of that you two should go." The blonde explained, as he glanced toward Anna sitting on the couch with her marbles. Their new little king gazing down at them with concentration written all over her face, as he turned to look at the older. "With the Green Clan in the picture now we should be ready for anything. Which means everyone needs to get used to pairing up with someone else besides their usual partner."
"So that's why you stuck Masa with Fujishima." The brunette frowned, as the other nodded and glanced toward the younger blonde in the corner. Eric curled up in a booth, with his legs to his chest, as he tapped on his phone. The male no doubt talking to his partner via texts, even though he was on a mission.
"I'm planning on sticking Bandō with Yata, and Akagi with Kamamoto when those two return tomorrow." The bartender continued, as Chitose winced at the match ups, and the male behind the counter grabbed a glass to clean. "I know you boys are used to fighting with your usual partners, but we don't know what the Green Clan will do from now on and it's best we're prepared. The better you boys get to know each others' habits, and battling styles, the easier it'll be if any of you are separated from your usual partners."
"I get that, but you do realize Eric doesn't talk to anyone but Fujishima, right?" The womanizer frowned, as the older sighed and nodded.
"Just try not to get into a huge argument, or get caught, please. All you boys need to do is check out an old hideout from a gang we dismantled a year ago and see if anyone is still there. There has been rumor that they're forming again."
"Alright. We'll do our best." Chitose replied, as the blonde nodded and pulled out his phone to send the mission via text to both of them.
The message being received moments later, and Eric glancing up from his phone to look at them, as he frowned slightly and got up with a small insult in English being directed toward them. One that had Kusanagi frowning, but not speaking against the insult, as the blonde walked over to them and stopped in front of the brunette. A frown on his face, and his bangs falling into his eyes, as he pulled his hood up over his head and pocketed his phone.
"You lead." Was all the blonde spoke, as the older swore he saw a slight pout fall across his face, as the man nodded and gave a quick wave good bye to Kusanagi.
The two of them quickly leaving the bar, and the brunette leading, as Eric trailed slightly behind him. The teen practically acting like his shadow, as he frowned slightly and had to wonder if he acted like this with Fujishima. If he did, it was a little creepy, but at least he knew he wouldn't be losing the guy.
"We're just checking to see if the old gang is reforming." Chitose spoke, after a few moments of silence, as Eric hummed in response and pulled out his phone when it vibrated. "We shouldn't have to fight anyone."
"I can fight." Eric suddenly bit out quietly, surprising the other, as he blinked at him and the blonde tapped away at his phone.
"I never said-"
"Whatever."
A sigh left the womanizer, as he looked away from the other and tried to resist the urge to rub a hand over his face. Five minutes into the mission and he already pissed off the blonde. What was Kusanagi thinking, trying to pair them together? Fujishima was the only one that knew how to handle Eric amongst them, and the rest of them were like fish out of water around the blonde. Almost everything they said received a bit out answer or a glare, even after all the time Eric had been apart of HOMRA. Sure the kid had fit in easily, and settled into the clan after a few months, but besides that the boy hadn't really gotten used to any one besides the animal lover. Eric's usual partner had gotten the blonde to open up to him, while the rest of them were still shut out, and even though the teen did answer their questions and attend missions as a clan none of them were close to him. Totsuka might've been the only other person to get him to open up and he was long gone, along with their king. So if Kusanagi thought this was going to work he was dead wrong. He was just glad the older male hadn't paired Eric up with Yata, because that'd be a fucking disaster.
"What were they like?" The blonde suddenly spoke, as Chitose jumped slightly and glanced back to see the younger frowning at him with his phone in hand. "The gang. Kōsuke won't tell me."
Kōsuke? Shit, they were on first name basis?…Well it did make sense, after all everyone called the blonde by his first name, because he refused to be called by his last, so it was expected. The thought of Fujishima letting someone call him by his first name was weird though. Hell, he had never heard anyone call him by it till now.
"To be honest, I don't remember much about them." He spoke truthfully, as the blonde's frown deepened. "We've disbanded a lot of gangs before you arrived, and even more after, so the names and their goals kind of blur together."
English gibberish left the blonde's mouth, as he went back to his phone, and the brunette wished he had paid more attention to his English class in school. If he knew he'd join HOMRA and run into the blonde he would've actually tried to become fluent in it, but now there wasn't much he could do about it. Maybe after this he could ask Fujishima or Kusanagi for a quick lesson, but for now he'd have to chalk up the younger's words as an insult and push it aside for now. They had other things to worry about right now.
"Nonetheless, keep an eye out. No matter what they might've done in the past it could get us into trouble."
"No shit." The blonde bit back, as he sent a text and frowned at him.
After that brunette gave up. It obvious the younger didn't want to talk to him, and thought of him as a nuisance, as he quietly led him across the city and toward the location they needed to be at. The blonde thankfully putting his phone away the closer they got, and keeping quiet and cautious, as the older came to a stop and glanced around the corner of a building they were hiding behind. The older, abandoned, building in question a good dozen yards away from them, as he let himself relax and snuffed out the cigarette he had been nursing for awhile.
"This is the place. Keep your guard up." He quietly spoke, as Eric huffed and moved to stand beside him and get a glimpse of the building.
"Looks empty."
"It could be full of people though. So keep your eyes peeled." He replied, as the blonde frowned at him and shoved his hands in his pockets of his hoodie.
"I'm not an idiot."
"I never said you were."
"Whatever. Let's just get this over with." The blonde scoffed, as he went to move past him and brunette put a hand on his chest. A move that was obviously unwelcomed as the blonde slapped his hand and glared at him. "What the fuck are you-?"
"Let me go first."
"Why, because you don't think I can do it?" Eric challenged, as the brunette frowned.
"I never said that."
"Then let me go first."
"No, I'm going first. Just watch my back."
"Why the fuck-?"
"Eric, the faster this is over the faster we get back to HOMRA and you can hate me all you want. Just shut the fuck up and listen to me, would yah? I've been in HOMRA longer than you, and the last thing I want is you getting hurt and Fujishima getting pissed at me, so stay the fuck behind me and watch my back." He bit out, as the blonde stared at him in slight surprise, and the brunette sighed. "Just, please, stay behind me and watch my back. If anything goes wrong I'll take care of it."
When no argument was thrown back at him, the older relaxed and moved around the corner. The sound of Eric's footsteps behind him, and thankfully quiet, as they made their way to the abandoned building and the male leaned against the wall. No sounds reaching him, from inside or outside, as he signaled for the blonde to stay and quietly moved toward the first window he could find. A quick glance inside finding the main entrance empty, as he motioned Eric forward and the blonde quietly walked over to him. His hands still in his pockets, and most likely holding onto his pocketknife, as they moved to the front door and tried the handle. The resistance telling him it was locked, as he cursed and Eric pushed him aside slightly. A move that almost had him retaliating, before the blonde pulled out a hairpin from his hair and started picking the lock. A sight that him staring at him in surprise, as more of the younger's blonde hair fell into his eyes and the lock unlatched. The hairpin being replaced in the blonde's hair, and blue eyes moving toward him in question, as he rose an eyebrow when the older didn't say anything.
"What?" Eric demanded, as the brunette snapped out of his trance and quietly opened the door.
"Didn't know you could pick a lock." He replied, as the younger rolled his eyes.
"Did you forget where I was before HOMRA? Of course I know how to pick a lock." The blonde replied, surprising the other slightly, as they quietly moved into the building.
All because Eric rarely talked about Hikawa, or his past at all, to the others beside Fujishima. And for the younger to suddenly be talking about it like this meant he had grown a lot since he'd last saw him. Eric had been skittish and reluctant to talk about the group when Mikoto had been their king, and now that Anna had taken her throne he had noticed everyone had changed a little. Their time away from the clan having made a slightly better impression on all of them, except the womanizer himself, as they stepped into the entrance of the building and Eric closed the door behind them.
Nothing but silence still reaching them, as the older took a deep breath and moved forward. The pair quietly moving through the offices, and checking each room as they went, before they reached the end of the hall and the older glanced toward the blonde behind him. No words having to be spoke, as the younger gave a nod, and he carefully pushed the door open slightly. A crack forming, as Eric knelt down and squeezed in between him and the door. The blonde looking through the opening, and stiffening slightly, as he looked up toward him and quickly shook his head. It obvious the building wasn't empty as they hoped, as he gave a nod and let the door close quietly, as Eric got to his feet.
"How many?" He quietly asked, as the blonde shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Two dozen at the least. There could be more though." The teen spoke, as the other cursed and pulled out his phone to relay the information to the bar owner. "There were a few crates too. I couldn't see what was in them, though."
At that the older paused mid-text, as he frowned down at the screen and felt a dreaded feeling creep over him. Crates…why did that seem really familiar?
"How big where they?" He demanded, as the blonde blinked at him in confusion.
"They were big. About your height." Was the younger's reply, as it finally hit him and he cursed, grabbing the teen's hand and quickly heading for the entrance to the building. "Chitose, what that hell-?"
"We need to get out of here, now." The womanizer bit out, as the blonde looked at him in confusion, and they turned the corner.
"Chitose, what's going on?" Eric demanded, his voice getting a bit louder, as they made it to the entry way and the older quietly pushed the door open. "Chitose-"
"I'll explain when we get out of here. Right now we need to get back to HOMRA." He interrupted, as the door hit something solid and he cursed. The male turning to find a gang member frowning down at them, as Eric shrunk behind him slightly, and the brunette bit back his usual quips.
"Who the fuck are you two?" The man spoke, as Chitose felt Eric grabbing hold of his vest and tugging on it slightly. It obvious someone was behind them as well, as he forced himself to relax and put on a smile.
"Sorry, we're new and got a bit lost trying to find the exit." He spoke, as Eric let go of his vest and gave a nod to confirm the brunette's lie.
"What're your names?" The man asked, as Eric started to relax a bit behind him.
"Yō and Sōlt." The womanizer spoke, easily using the other parts of their names, as the man pulled out his phone and tapped at his phone. "Just joined today, and we were going out for lunch."
"Really? No wonder you're not on the list." The man spoke, as he pocketed his phone and moved aside. "Sorry for the trouble. Gotta be cautious and all with HOMRA back."
"No kidding. Pains in asses, aren't they?" Chitose joked, as him and Eric moved past the man and into the open.
"You can say that again. Make sure you guys are back in an hour. Boss is having a meeting."
"Will do." He replied, as he ushered Eric forward and gave the blonde a smile. "How's ramen sound? I know it's a bit hot, but it's been awhile since I've had it."
"Sure." Eric replied, in a small voice, as they moved away from the building and out of sight. "Chi-"
"Sōlt, you paying or me?" Chitose interrupted, as the blonde stiffened beside him slightly and the teen glanced up at him tensely.
"I paid last time." Eric muttered out, the teen thankfully realizing they were being tailed, as the male chuckled at the teen's words and let his shoulder's slump.
"Right, I forgot. You paid the time before that, didn't you? Guess I owe you two meals."
"Forget about it. I'll just end up paying, anyway." The blonde muttered, as he blinked at the teen in slight surprise.
Wasn't this a conversation him and Masa had a few weeks ago, after everyone had returned to HOMRA and welcomed in their princess as their new king? Was Eric listening in to their conversation? Well shit, what had he said next?
"Aw, come on, Sōlt! It's not like I'm using you for your money." Chitose joked, as he wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders casually and the teen frowned up at him. The older glad the blonde was good at putting on an act, as he couldn't help but smile at how much he was acting like Dewa right now.
"Yeah, right. Who ended up lending you money for bar hopping again?" Eric asked, the teen thankfully changing some one the words around, since he was underage.
"I was only twenty thousand yen!" He whined, as the teen's frowned deepened.
"And I'm going to be broke by the end of the month if you keep borrowing money."
"I'll pay you back soon, I promise. I'm getting my paycheck at the end of the week."
"Don't bother. I won't be getting it knowing you." Eric grumbled, as he looked away from him and turned them into a crowded street.
"I will. I promise." A scoff was all that let the younger, as they easily blended into the crowd and the womanizer relaxed a little.
Eric catching his reaction, and glancing toward him nervously, before he scanned the crowd.
"We lose them?" Eric asked, as the older resisted the urge to pull out a cigarette and possibly get them noticed for who they really were.
"Don't see them, but bare with this for a little longer. Closer you are, the less likely we'll get separated." A nod left the blonde, as they walked with the crowd and moved toward HOMRA.
Their tails nowhere near them, and no eyes burning into the back of the brunette's skull, as they moved onto the street the bar was on and he removed his arm from the blonde's shoulder. Eric far more relaxed than a few minutes ago, as HOMRA came into view and Yata waved at them from afar. Him and Kamamoto out front, and the blonde on his bike, as they made their way over to them and Eric quickly moved past them and into the bar without a word.
"Oi, he ok?" Yata asked, as he watched the door close behind him and the brunette shook his head. "Something wrong?"
"Old gang is reforming, and we almost got caught." He replied, as the vanguard looked at him in surprise and Kamamoto the door to the bar a worried look.
"Which one?"
"Can't remember their name, but they had huge crates according to Eric."
"Fucking hell, not them." Yata cursed, as he ran a hand over his head and ended up nudging his beaning back a bit in the process. "And just after HOMRA gets back together too."
"Yeah. This couldn't have happened at a worse time." Chitose responded, as he sighed and moved to the door. "I'm going to check in with Kusanagi. Keep an eye out. We were tailed, and we lost them, but they could be close."
"Sure."
"Hey, are you ok?" Kōsuke suddenly spoke, as he glanced up at his partner and looked back down at his black phone. A small smile appearing on the man's face, as he sat beside him in the booth and pulled out his own phone.
Did something happen?
A frown appeared on the teen's face, as he glanced at the text now on his screen and decided to humor the other. A few taps to the screen unlocking the device, and bringing up the texting application, as he pressed his fingers against the keyboard and sent his reply.
I had to go on a mission with Chitose. We almost got caught, and they tailed us all the way back.
A worried look appeared on the male's face, as he lowered his phone and glanced at him.
"You ok?"
I'm fine.
"Eric, I'm being serious here. Are you ok?" Kōsuke demanded, as he put a hand over the teen's phone and made the blonde look up at him.
The look on his face causing the older's expression to soften, as he sighed and let his shoulder's slump. The blonde never doubting for a second that he looked slightly scared, even though he always tried to keep his expressions trained, as his partner watched him in slight worry. The man probably already knowing he was more freaked out than he was letting off, and whatever had happened riled him up a bit, as the older took the teen's phone from him and set their phones on the table.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
There it was. The, you can talk to me about anything and I'll help you through it, look. The, I can act like your therapist and keep it from the others, look. How many times had he gotten that look? How many times had he told the older his problems, worries, and fears? How many times had Kōsuke kept his mouth shut and helped him through his problems? And how many more times was he going to subject the man to his problems, before he returned the favor? It never seemed fair, not matter how many times the animal lover told him it was ok.
"I just thought they were going to attack us is all." He spoke, as the older watched him with worry. "We were right at their hideout, so I knew if they found out it was us we'd be screwed. And when we got away, and they followed us, all I could think about was what would happen if we got cornered. We've never fought together before, so I freaked out a bit."
"That's only natural, Eric. I bet everyone is going to feel like that with Kusanagi pairing us up with different people than we're used to, and Chitose knows what he's doing. He's been Dewa's partner since awhile after he joined, so he's going to be serious and cautious when it counts." A nod left the younger, as he pulled his legs closer to his chest, and the other tilted his head only slightly. "Was there something else?"
"What if I couldn't synch up with him?" Eric spoke in a small voice, as Fujishima blinked at him in surprise. "It took us awhile to get used to each other, but what if they attacked us and I couldn't match up with him? We'd get beaten for sure."
"You just have to trust him." Kōsuke replied, as he looked up at the older in confusion. "Chitose is there to watch your back, and you're there to watch his. You need to believe that he'll keep you safe, while he'll be trusting you to keep him safe."
Is that why Chitose had smiled when he started reciting one of the womanizer's old conversations? Because he was glad the younger had played along and trusted him?…no. He probably thought it was funny he could pretend to be Dewa. Otherwise he wouldn't have been so friendly with him. Even the blonde knew Chitose didn't like him all that much. Hell, they never really talked till today.
"I wouldn't doubt Chitose would try to match your pace anyway." Kōsuke continued, as he glanced up at his partner in confusion. "Dewa said that's what he did when they first battled together. Chitose used to run into battles pretty quickly and egg on Yata to see who took out more people, before he battled beside Dewa. During their first battle Chitose slowed down considerably to fill in the holes that were open. They fell in synch pretty quickly after that and he decided to pair up with Dewa after the mission from there on out. Not to mention, Dewa kind of gave him a stern talking to as well."
"I thought they joined HOMRA together." The blonde frowned, as the older shook his head.
"According to Dewa, Chitose joined a few months after he had. Said he wanted a change of pace, and joined on a whim. Took a few weeks before he ended up pairing up with Dewa."
A huff left the blonde, as he frowned at the table and glanced at their phones. So Chitose had been like Yata? Why didn't that surprise him? I mean, Chitose was laid back, confident, and flirtatious. But how the hell did he go from being pushy and hotheaded to what he was now? There had to have been a reason. No one changed like that overnight with out cause behind it.
"So there's no reason to worry about it." The animal lover spoke, as he looked up at the man. "Just fight how you usually do and he'll back you up and fill in the holes."
"Wish they'd just keep me paired with you. This is a huge hassle." The blonde muttered, as the bell above the door dinged and Chitose walked inside.
The teen watching the male move to the bar, and sit down to talk to Kusanagi, as Kōsuke quietly watched him and fell silent so he could eavesdrop on the conversation.
"I was wondering whether you came back or not." Kusanagi lightly joked, as Chitose chuckled and settled into his seat beside Dewa. "How'd it go? Your text was a bit jumbled."
"They've take up shop again, that's for sure." Chitose replied, as the older blonde frowned. "Same gang, too, but there's been member changes."
"And how do you know that?"
"We almost got caught." The womanizer replied, as Dewa looked toward his friend in surprise and Kusanagi cursed.
"I told you to be careful." The bar owner spoke, as Chitose frowned.
"I was. They got us right when we went to leave. I don't exactly have eyes in the back of my head."
"Neither of you got hurt, right?" The older questioned, as he shook his head and Anna walked over to the bar to sit beside them. The presence of their new king making the womanizer smile lightly at her and act like he normally would.
"You were followed." Anna spoke, her words more of a statement than a question, as Chitose nodded and the right hand man frowned.
"We lost them a few blocks away though, so we should be safe. They think we're newbies though." Chitose spoke, as he looked between the bar owner and their little king. "I had to give them the half of our names, because they caught us off guard, but they'll be expecting us back soon or they'll be coming after us."
"Which gang is it?" Anna questioned, as he looked to the blonde behind the bar and he frowned at her question.
"They were a large gang when we dismantled them, and I believe we had you and Totsuka stay behind for that mission." Kusanagi explained, as she nodded. "They had plenty of numbers on their side, and Mikoto did most of the fighting, but if I remember correctly we had more trouble with their cargo than the members themselves."
"Cargo?" Anna spoke in confusion, as Dewa sighed and caught the girl's attention, as well as Kusanagi's displeased frown.
"They kidnapped people and sold them off to others in nearby cities." Dewa explained, as both the girl and Eric stiffened in shock. "They weren't just normal people either. They trained them to act certain ways, depending on the buyer, and then sold them. We had to fight against quite a lot of them, because most of them were combat trained."
"It wasn't pretty, Anna." Chitose spoke, as he gave the girl a slightly guilty smile.
"So this could be dangerous." She spoke, as the three of them nodded. "We can't let them hurt any more people."
"We won't, but we need to be careful on how we approach this." Kusanagi spoke, as Kōsuke looked toward the younger blonde in worry. "Akagi and Bandō won't be back till tomorrow, and we can't make the gang suspicious of us till we can attack them head on."
"A-Are you suggesting we go back?" Eric suddenly asked, surprised he had even spoke, as the four of them glanced toward him and he shrunk back a bit. "I-Isn't that dangerous?"
"It is, but we don't have much of a choice right now. Not till Akagi and Bandō return. The more numbers we have together the better." Was the older blonde's response, as the teen felt the dread start to seep past his skin and Chitose gave him a slightly worried look. "The two of you will have to play along with them till we can get everyone together and create a plan of attack."
"Why can't Dewa just go with Chitose?" Eric demanded, even though he knew the answer, as Anna gave him a worried look.
"They already know our names and faces. If Dewa came with me they'd get suspicious." Chitose spoke, as the blonde tightened his fingers around his pants. "We're already going to have a bit of a challenge with the boss, since he doesn't even know about us, and we can't make it worse. The two of us will have to make the most of the situation."
Make the most of the situation? Did the idiot even realize what kind of situation they were in right now? A gang full of human traffickers thought they were members of their organization, and the people where training humans against their will. How did Chitose expect him to be ok with all this? He couldn't go along with it? He escaped from a life just like that and he didn't want to have to see or experience it again. He had just gotten better. He felt human. He couldn't go into this mission and not come out ok by the end, and he was afraid of that. He didn't want to become another pet again.
"You'll be fine. If anything goes wrong I'll keep you safe." Chitose suddenly spoke, that male's voice a lot closer than he remembered, as he looked up and jumped when he noticed the brunette was now standing beside the table he was sitting at. "I'll get the both of us through today and back to the bar safely tonight. I promise."
The bar?...Right. It wasn't like they could go home to their respected apartments tonight. The chances of either one of them getting attacked was high. A lot higher than he wanted to imagine right now.
"Keep your phones on at all times, just as an extra precaution." Kusanagi demanded, as the two of them nodded. Kōsuke still giving him a worried look, as the brunette sighed and relaxed a bit. "I'd suggest wearing different clothes as well. The chances that their boss is the same as before is high, and he'll recognize you, Chitose, if you don't try and fit the part."
"I know." The womanizer replied, as he glanced at the blonde. "You should change clothes, too. Someone might recognize you as well."
A nod was all the blonde could give, as the male sighed and headed for the stairs. Anna still watching the younger in concern, and putting Eric on edge, as Fujishima gently ruffled his hair and handed him his phone back.
"Lets get you changed."
Scarlett: *happily waves* hey fellow K fans! Welcome to the first ever Chitose and Eric fanfiction! *beams*
Eric: *frowning at her* why would you put me through this torture?
Chitose: *wraps an arm around Eric's shoulders* oh, come on, it's not that bad
Eric: *gives him a disgusted look, speaking in english* says you, fucking pervert *shoves his arm off him*
Scarlett: *anime sweat drops, giving a small wave to the camera* anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the first chapter. Please review and let me know what you think. Not much is given about Eric and Chitose, besides K Memories of Red, so I'd love the comments and criticism. Just be gentle. *bows* so please enjoy. The next chapter will be up tomorrow. *sits up suddenly* Ah! And 20,000 yen is about 162 us dollars, according to google. In case anyone was wondering.
K and it's characters do not belong to me. They belong to Furuashi Hideyuki, GoHands, and GoRA.