Warning: the rating is currently T for any swearing and violence, but I may be uping this to M later on if I decide to add some smut. I haven't actually decided yet. This will hopefully be a long drawn out story, that's what I have planned anyway, with at least a sequel if not a trilogy but we shall see. I know that the current chapter isn't very long but I am going to be working on that. I do not have anyone to edit my work and I am still fine tuning all the little things so if you see any glaring mistakes feel free to tell me. I won't get better if I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
"Can you help me?" The little voice was filled with terror and pain. It was also hesitant and resigned as though its speaker knew it was useless to ask, it was also in his head.
Mikoto froze and looked around as though that would discern where the voice-thought had originated. Anna looked up at him in concern as he gazed around the park they were at.
"That depends," he tentatively replied but before he could continue the voice spoke again
"I understand if you can't, or won't." he frowned,
"I was going to say; it depends on why you need help and where you are." He tried to convey his slight irritation at being interrupted.
"Sorry, No one else will believe I'm real. I've stopped asking, but you are different than the others. Stronger. Brighter. I don't know where I am but its dark, and wet. It's also cold, but I can't feel it anymore." Their voice grew a little distant as he spun again looking for something to give him any idea what was going on. He was apparently conversing with a powerful Strain but where was said Strain.
"I will do everything I can to help you, can you also converse with my clansman, she is with me and also a Strain, if you can't, I can have her trace you if you give me your name." He spoke-thought trying to remain calm as he suddenly was drawn into the Strains consciousness and experienced the cold and hunger she was feeling, for he could tell she was indeed a woman, the brief glimpse into the Strain's mind had confirmed it.
"I… I can try. She is the one next to you, yes?" her voice was hesitant again.
He crouched by Anna and told her what was happening,
"Do you think you can help find her Anna?" he asked her for once discarding the average air of laziness he typically wore. Anna nodded solemnly then her wine coloured eyes closed in concentration a small furrow forming on her brow. Then her eyes flashed open in horror, then narrowed in determination as she took off pulling her King along behind her as he pulled out his phone to tell Kusanagi to gather the clan and to be ready to meet him at the address Anna rattled off to him as she ran. His Aura flowing around them invisible at the moment, the only outward sign of his fury at the brief glimpse he had received of this mysterious Strains condition was the eerie blood red glow of his eyes.
Despite being closer to the Squat building that appeared to be their destination, Mikoto and Anna arrived only a minute or so before the rest of the clan, Anna puffing slightly from the run. Mikoto passed her off to Tatara, but before he could storm the building in his rage, she caught his coat, he froze and leant down to listen as she whispered
"Save her; she is one of us." He cocked his head at her, fury momentarily put aside to attempt to read Anna's face. Her eyes were hard and determined, whoever this was Anna thought they would become a member of HOMURA, so he nodded and turned to his clan but before he could speak Kusanagi, having caught the conversation between his King and their princess grimly spoke
"What do you want us to do boss?" Mikoto's eyes narrowed as his Aura flared dangerously all present knew that someone was going to pay.
"There is a Strain," His voice was quite and deadly, but Anna broke in quietly
"She is in a room on the very bottom floor." He nodded at her in acknowledgement then continued
"She is the goal; we are here to save her." His eyes lit up with fiery rage "Burn the rest."
The rest of his clan nodded then chanted
"No Blood! No Bone! No Ash!" before they had even finished he had taken off, gesturing for Tatara to take Anna to safety.
His Aura preceding him, he blasted the front doors open in a flaming inferno when the little voice spoke once more,
"I never told you my name… It's Rebecca." She sounded just as terrified, but for the first time he caught a hint of hope in her voice and was once again shown a glimpse of her mind only to have his Aura explode in anger around not only himself but her as well. The bastard reaching to hit her never saw what killed him.
"Thank you, for coming, for believing." He felt her consciousness fade then, and he roared his rage and raced to reach her sooner.
When he finally did reach the lowest level, only Yata had kept up with him. Even as he burned the few people left he wondered why he was having such a strong reaction for someone he had never met before, this was a reaction he would have had for a member of his clan but few others. Perhaps it was the situations parallels to Anna's past or maybe it was the Strain's personality that reminded him of HOMURA's Princess. He shook his head thinking wryly 'to late to care now I suppose' When he found the room he knew to be hers, the glow from his eyes practically lit the room and Yata's cry of outrage went unheard as they finally laid eyes on the reason for the destruction.
She was tiny, not because of her build but because she had apparently been starved, her hair was to her shoulders and ragged, the colour was hidden beneath layers of dirt and blood, her skin was pale, save for the places it was mottled with bruises and lacerations in various stages of healing. She was beautiful in a haunting, disturbing kind of way. It was more like an echo, like looking at a magnificent church brought down by a hurricane. Mikoto broke from the trance he had been caught up in and slowly made his way into the small room. Yata lit up his hand to provide some more light for them as Kusanagi was heard making his way down the hallway.
"We've cleared out the building…" his voice trailed off as he caught sight of the girl Mikoto was arranging in his arms, getting ready to carry her from the prison they stood in.
"We are going to need a doctor, I'll call an ambulance." Kusanagi sounded a little hollow as he pulled out his phone and began to dial. Mikoto only grunted as he picked his way carefully out of the rubble then pause and said,
"As much as I hate to admit it, the Blues may be more equipped to handle this, and I'm sure they are already on their way here. Don't bother with the regular hospital. They will want explanations we can't give." Kusanagi nodded and ended the call he was making. They continued up to the exit. Where Mikoto was proven correct. Scepter 4 was indeed already arriving.
Mikoto sighed and approached the man he loved to hate.
"What on Earth have you gotten yourself into now Red King?" Munakata's voice was grating as ever. Mikoto sighed wishing they could just take the girl to a regular hospital, there was always the chance that they would never see the girl again if they handed her over to the Blues. However, it seemed that was a fish he would have to take.
"Believe me when I say this pains me to admit, but I think you are the only person who can successfully," he paused and sighed again desperately not wanting to speak the next word, but he did anyway, "help." He gritted his teeth at the surprised then almost instantly smug look that appeared on the Blue Kings face. Before anyone could say anything else could be said Mikoto felt rather than heard, Anna approaching. As much as he didn't want her to see this Strain is such a reached condition he also quickly realised that he could use the concern and attachment he had already seen forming to his advantage. As much as Mikoto hated it, he knew the Blue King had some small soft spot for HOMURA's princess. He turned and gave Anna a grim look letting her know it was bad, but Anna came forward anyway, and Mikoto knelt so she could see the Strain in his arms. Anna gasped and touched the young woman's cheek. She paused then turned to the Blue King and in the smallest voice asked him,
"You'll help her? You'll return her to us?" Anna's voice grew slightly stronger with the second question, but was still little more than a whisper as Mikoto looked up at him with a small scowl warning Munakata to not do anything to upset his princess, the rest of HOMURA gathering round behind them, honestly rather confused but supporting their King nonetheless. In any other circumstance, he probably would have laughed at the sudden change from smug to trapped on the usually rather clear face of Reisi Munakata. This time though he contented himself with an internal smirk.
"I do hope you will explain what is going on, while we are on our way to Scepter 4, as I assume you will be accompanying her?" Munakata finally sighed. Then nodded to his second in command telling her to deal with the building and the police while he took the Strain and the King that had rescued her to their headquarters, despite her protests she complied. Before he did anything else, he turned to Kusanagi and said
"Take the clan back to HOMRA, I will be there as soon as I have everything sorted with the Blue's," Then he turned to Anna "Can you explain what happened at the park?" Anna once again nodded solemnly and then again whispered,
"She is one of us. I know it!" and if he didn't know better, he would have said that the tone he heard in her voice was reverence. He nodded at her and promised to take care of her. Just then Munakata returned with the paramedic team they had brought, and Mikoto Carefully played her on the gurney then he followed closely as they all loaded into the van.
"So, are you going to explain what is happening?" Munakata's voice finally broke the tense silence between the two men. Mikoto sighed for the umpteenth time that day.
"I was out for a walk in the park with Anna when she," he waved vaguely to the girl the medics were working on then continued, "contacted me telepathically. Anna was able to track her, I would have probably just contacted you if I hadn't been sucked into her mind and felt what she felt. It was hell, Munakata and it pissed me off more than I have been in a long time" he paused again to ponder why he was so enraged but once again tabled it for another, more appropriate occasion. "I couldn't just leave her there, not even for a day. You saw how attached Anna is, I think she Saw something about her." He looked over at Munakata and then laid his head back as he tiredly spoke, "I think she is going to be something special if Anna's reaction is anything to go buy."
Munakata frowned at Mikoto. He had never seen the man so open, nor so… peaceful wasn't the right word, in fact, he couldn't seem to find a word for what the other King looked right now, almost like he was too tired or confused to bother to hide behind his typical facade of boredom. "I see."
He was conflicted, on one hand, he had his duty but on the other, could he really disappoint that little Strain, Anna Kushina? If the girl had so much belief that this Strain that her King had gone to rather extreme, and unusually great lengths to rescue could he perhaps just this once help Mikoto.
"What is it you want from me Suoh? Do you expect me to overlook the damage you caused? Because I think that no matter how foolish and hotheaded I feel you were..." he paused then sighed resignedly "I do believe you were justified in going to great lengths to save her. However, I think that is not all you want. You want assurances we will not keep her in our custody? Am I correct?" His voice was low, but he nodded decisively then continued without waiting for Mikoto to speak. "We will keep her," he held up his hand as Mikoto opened his mouth and his eyes lit up, silently telling Mikoto to wait, "We will keep her until our doctors deem her well enough to be returned to your care. She does not appear to be dangerous at the moment the only reason we would have to keep her against her will is if she proves to be dangerous to herself or others. While there are a few doctors, who can treat Strains we keep the best on retainer. It would be remiss of us to deny her care. As you have apparently decided to shelter her in your clan as you did with Miss Kushina, there is little I can do, but I do expect you know that I will expect a favour in return, to be cashed in at my discretion. I do promise it will not be something to give my clan an advantage over yours, nor will it be something trifling or petty. You have my word." Munakata had a feeling that this was the beginning if some plot that would have enormous impacts.
Mikoto Sighed knowing that he would grow to regret this but trusting Anna to know what she was doing and that she wasn't being dramatic. So he reached his hand over to shake Munakata's in agreement.