Summary: "That is why…no matter what form you choose to take—male or female, young or old, we will always be weaved together by fate. You have been and forever will be my counterpart, my destined partner…my Queen."
Monochrome Factor: Lingering Shadows
"The fighting days are over, and the boring days came back. Haruka left Kujo's family estate and went to study in England. Of course, the weight of his crime will be the same anywhere he goes. And he can only solve it by himself."
"After the fateful events at Mt. Fugi there were no more incidents and the city is at peace now. And I'm enjoying these boring days, because I know…after the calm, comes the storm."
-Akira
A short year has passed, and since then, life for Nikaido Akira returned to its mundane routine. No longer a Shin, the Royal King of Rei carried on as a normal, easygoing student finishing his high school years. It was strange to say the least—after everything that transpired in the past, the sun always rose and life went on.
Still, the teenager can't let go of the lingering suspicions of what was to come.
Homurabi—the current ruler of the Shadow World—had stated that the world of Light would soon become his, and that his plan was unhindered. For a long time, Akira wondered what he meant by that. Surely he and his companions had put a stop to the advancing darkness that was spreading. So what was he referring to? Something larger? The whole mess hadn't made any sense—at least to him. Despite having a key role in maintaining the fragile balance between the mirroring worlds of Light and Shadow, he always felt he was missing a big piece to the puzzle.
"Akira. Homurabi…exiled me from the throne of the Shadow World. And he's advancing to the Light World. I leave the rest to you, Akira…No, to the Rei's royalty direct descendant."
Shirogane.
The damn bastard still left without a full explanation! Granted, it was only a matter of time before he knew his time was up—but still! Right up to the very end, the older man had the tendency to keep things to himself. Shirogane-sama carried secrets like a person wore a cloak—concealing his true persona, nature, and form in the embodiment of shadow.
He hid his sharp tongue beneath a polite smile, and obscured his aggressive behavior with mild mannerisms and a soft, passive attitude. Always tip-toeing around questions, never being up front and honest, treating him like a child, and then having the nerve to request his divine trust and commitment. As if he could!
He hadn't explained anything—that baka!
And yet, in truth there was one thing the Direct Royal Shin King was always genuinely sincere about…
"I more than just like you, Akira-kun."
Akira sat by himself on the gritty rooftop of his school. Slowly, he raised a hand to let his fingertips gently brush against his lips. Fragments of that night within the mountain flashed across his mind. Homurabi had threatened everything that he held dear. And as a result, his resolve in battle strengthened—finally awakening the light element he possessed to transform into his true incarnation as the Rei King of Light—Ryuuko.
The chilling event had taken less than a few suspenseful moments, but the effect left an everlasting impact on the teenager. Memories that he couldn't place flooded his subconscious—just enough to tease his mind and leave him confused. It was a fleeting sensation that bothered him.
His gray eyes grow downcast, watching the shadows lazily dance across the roof's surface. He could still feel the lasting cool remnants on his lips left by his counterpart. Frantically, he shook his head as a shiver crept up his spine.
Did he share the same feeling the shin so easily displayed?
Hell no!
But, did he value the friendship that spawned between them?
He sighed, letting his hand drop, and lifting his gaze to the sky. 'Course he did. They had been partners, fighting side by side for the same cause. Shirogane was his friend—regardless of the sexual innuendoes he gave him and the number of times he pissed him off. Without him, Akira can survive just fine, but he had to admit…things haven't been the same.
A door swinging open abruptly shook him from his thoughts, causing his eyes to widen at the figure standing in the doorway.
Suzuno Aya stood huffing and puffing. The girl fixed him with a heated glare, fire churning in her brown orbs. Still a proud member of the student council, Aya-chan takes it upon herself to patrol the hallways and keep slackers in class. It never ceased to amaze the disciplinary of how such a lazy, easy going guy like Akira can elude her for so long, but that was soon to change once she drags his happy butt back to his home room. Holding her wooden sword like a samurai warrior, she addressed him angrily.
"A-ki-ra. Do you know what time it is?"
The young ruler gulped back saliva and stood. Of course he knew what time it was—almost the end of sixth period. He quickly re-gathered his composure and shrugged casually.
"That time already, huh? So then, I suppose I don't have much of a choice."
Aya blinked at him as he smoothly skirted past her.
"D-do you mean it?"
"'Course not!"
Akira took into a mad dash towards the door, leaving Aya seething behind him.
"Akira! Get back here!"
"Later!"
He skillfully took down the stairs, easily losing her by many years of practice. Although his appreciation for uneventful formalities has broadened, he's not fond of sitting through class. It never interested him to get involved in academics. His grades never suffered, so why bother putting forth the extra effort?
Exiting campus, he let his feet take him where they may. The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm, orange hue to blanket over the city. Akira casually strolls down the sidewalk with his long shadow stretching out in front of him. Hands stuffed in his pocket, body functioning on autopilot, it became apparent that boredom has yet again caught up to him.
A distinct sound drifted to his ears.
Curious—now with nothing better to do—he picks up the pace to follow the blaring siren of an ambulance. As the sound draws closer, his pulse begins to race. He recognizes this neighborhood all too well. He and his friends still continue to visit this area on a regular basis, gathering, and using it as their traditional hang-out spot. It became special—a small fragment of what used to be adventure, companionship, and purpose. Apprehension instantly fills him as several scenarios filter through his mind.
Akira briskly takes the last corner…and froze. His heart jumps in his throat at the scene that abruptly meets his eyes.
"Bar-Still" lay in ruins.
Shock coursed through his system, effectively keeping him rooted to the spot. What once housed cherished and fond memories now was reduced to rubble. Smoke and debris overflowed into the street—the building itself completely flatted and unrecognizable. A small crowd already began to migrate to the scene, and the local authorities were busy completing their tasks.
Akira could only gawk, caught in disbelief. Something didn't feel right about this—no way could this be an accident! Was this the result of him being too careless? Did he let his guard down too soon? This couldn't be happening. Then it hit him.
Master!
The thought of the caring bartender hurt in any way snapped his legs into action.
He pushed past the crowd as hastily as he could to reach the yellow hazard tape set up. Gripping the thin plastic with clinched fists, he sparred only a moment to survey the scene before ducking underneath it. Blue and red flashing lights of an ambulance reflect off his clothing when his grey orbs finally land on the core of the scene.
Instantly his blood ran cold.
Akira's jaw slowly dropped, taking in the two paramedics that were busy strapping Master's unconscious body to a stretcher between them. Thick, crimson blood seeped through the bartender's cleanly kept, white shirt and dark vest.
"Master!"
He attempted to lunge forward when suddenly a policeman grabbed him from behind.
"This area's off limits to civilians, kid." The man stated gruffly. He held the teenager's hands roughly behind his back.
Akira growled, anger now beginning to fuel the adrenaline already pumping through his body.
"Get your hands off me! That's Master! I have to see if—"
"No one's allowed in this area except on-duty personal. So I'm going to have to ask for you to both calm down and vacate, or I can escort you out."
What was this idiot officer thinking?! The person unconscious on the stretcher, the body they were getting ready to load up and take away is his friend. He had to let him through!
"Like hell you will!"
With that, Akira used all his strength to brace his captive held arms behind him and kick his legs out from underneath him. The abrupt, sudden motion caught the officer by surprise, resulting in the two of them falling to the debris littered ground.
Akira deftly scrambled off the startled officer, ready to bolt, when a burly hand grabbed the back of his collar.
"Why you little—"
The teenager closed his eyes to brace himself for the impending blow, waiting in suspended apprehension.
The hit never came.
Confused, Akira peeked open his eyes. Another hand held the bearing down fist in mid-air just mere inches from his face.
"My, my—that's rather rude. Policemen are keepers of the peace, not beaters of children. You should learn to play nicer."
Akira blinked his gray eyes at the new stranger.
The dark haired man was grinning coyly—effectively redirecting the officer's attention and blocking his path to him. Recognition instantly filled him.
"K-Kou-nii? What are you doing here?"
Kou turned and ruffled Akira's soft, brown hair. He swung an arm around his shoulders, all the while sending the officer a nonchalant smile.
"Nothing much, just looking after you."
"That be the case, would this kid then be yours, sir?"
"Why no, officer." Kou smirked, pulling Akira into a head lock to nuggie the top of his skull. "This here would be my little brother. You could say the gentleman you're picking up happens to be an old friend of the family. It's obvious that he's upset, though he does tend to be quite sensitive at times. Neh, Aki?"
"K-Kou-nii…can't breathe…!"
The policeman scoffed, crossing his arms while glaring at the pair.
"Teh, if he is in your charge, then I suggest you grab him and go. We have work to do here! There's no time to be dealing with snot-nosed punks meddling in things best left to the authorities."
"I agree." Kou kept the smirking grin in place across his face—to be blunt, humans were so much fun to tease. "Thank you very much for taking care of him."
"W-wait! Kou-nii, what about…?!"
Despite Akira's futile struggling, Kou maintained a good arm around him. He had no idea what was going on, and again he found his frustration building.
"So then, we'll take our leave then."
Having little choice, Akira found himself being torn and dragged from the scene. He would have continued his struggling—kicking and screaming—but he trusted Kou.
After all, the dark haired man is his guardian protector.
Akira didn't utter a word once Kou finally released him, and the pair chose to walk side by side in awkward silence.
Kou lit a cigarette, preparing to lighten the tension.
"It wasn't safe for you to be there."
"Why? Do you know something? What's going on? Master, he…" The teenager grit his teeth, shoving his hands in his pockets, and indignantly looking away. It was the first time he's seen one of his companions that badly wounded. He had no idea, nor control over if he was going to pull through, and that bothered him greatly.
A gentle hand fell on his shoulder.
"My king, while I admit that I do have a theory, it wouldn't be wise to discuss it out in the open. I know you're worried about Shisui, but he's in capable hands. In fact, his best chance is where he's at. Our best bet is to regroup…this situation is quickly becoming dangerous. And besides, there's someone you need to talk to."
That got the Akira's attention.
"Really? Who?"
Kou merely offered him a glance before opening the door to his humble adobe. The poor neighborhood he chose to live in mirrored that of a gangster lifestyle, but the interior held a piece of its own simple charm.
Akira instantly noticed his two school mates sitting pitifully on one of the couches nearby. Both Aya and Kengo looked distraught—and rightly so if Kou had already somehow filled them in. It wasn't everyday a close friend of theirs was carted off to the hospital. He went to join them when movement in the shadows shifted his gaze.
For a brief second or two, Akira felt his eyes widen—his body frozen in place by a mysterious figure that took shape and stepped closer. The trademark, black top hat and trench coat fit comfortably around the individual. The long silvery hair is pulled back loosely into a braid trailing down the back to collect around the ankles. And two blue, piercing eyes gazed forward, set intently on the teenager.
Shirogane smiled softly at Akira, resting his white gloved hands on top of his cane.
"Konbanwa, Akira-kun~ It's good to see you again."