This chapter had been difficult to write as I'm setting up the stage for a two-front wars.
Thanks for the reviews and support.
Chapter 2: The Meeting
Fushimi Saruhiko found himself rotting in the airport. He regretted for agreeing to go along with his "good friend", Kusuhara Takeru in going on for a short holidays. He suggested this as Fushimi was having his summer holidays and Kusuhara was given some his annual leave by his generous Bar master.
"I want to go home." Fushimi buried himself under the sweater. He could not believe he was two hours early from the meet-up time. If it was not that he had bumped into Oogai Aya and Hirasaka Douhan who were with their luggage going back home for the summer holidays, he would not have remained awake and came here early. He could not sleep especially looking at Aya's smug face for scoring better in her exam for the previous semester.
Aya was teasing him for running away from problems which was why he made it to university to piss his King off. Fushimi could only stare at the bright white light shining above him where he was sitting. He had been trying to bear with her piercing words of insult and not getting back at her. He would not steep to her level was what he told himself. Staring at his palm, he was in disbelief. He had not strangle her to death recalling the words from a certain Bar Master.
"If you want to get back to them, do it but in an open way."
"Maybe I should have scored full marks in that pointless exam." Fushimi muttered cursing himself for amending the answers in order not to stand out top in the whole cohort.
"Hi! Fushimi-kun, you're early." His "friend", Kusuhara Takeru's head hovered above his. He had came early on purpose as well. They were going to Germany.
"The Minato twins are spotted there." Kusuhara affirmed the information Fushimi had received from a certain ninja who appeared to be pitying him notifying that JUNGLE would not be interested in dealing with them. Fushimi did not like how Hirasaka Douhan acted when she gave him the information assuming that he believed her and he ended up believing in the lead.
"I thought you have killed them?" Fushimi asked again.
"I sure did." Kusuhara sat beside him. "Something is going on. Kusanagi-san trusts us to find out as he can't get away with JUNGLE planning to make a move against HOMRA." Kusanagi Izumo was the right-hand man and the adviser to the Red King, Kushina Anna. At the moment, he could not afford to leave her especially, they did not have enough power to fight back should anything was to happen.
"And I have to be your bodyguard." Fushimi hid his daggers and his sabre, Subaru away skillfully. He had to avoid inspection since this mission was to be handled in secret.
"Captain had lost contact with the sixth King." Fushimi added. Even if the Purple King often disappears without any word, to be this irresponsible was so unlike him. His PDA vibrated again as they were about to head to the departure gate. Fushimi narrowed his eyes at the message. That was all the more they needed to investigate.
The sixth and Purple King, Totsuka Tatara and his clansman XX-chan (Neko) had travelled far and wide for 6 months in order to locate and meet with the new Gold King.
Six months and they have no idea until Totsuka found this place with the hint given by the Dresden Slate. Communicating with the Slate was not just the Silver King could do, as the undead King, he could do so. The Slate had told him various things it had observed and not even the current Silver King knew. Totsuka wondered if that was his retribution for what he had done to the first Gold King for having so much trouble to find the new Gold King.
There was something Dresden Slate had warned him about. Despite having reservation he decided to come through his domain. And so they had arrived in Germany.
"Welcome! The Sixth King, I have heard about you from the Slate." Totsuka and Neko stood before a ruined theatre from the flow of history.
A male at his twenty maybe slightly older than Totsuka in brown hair appeared before them. He seemed pleasant to Totsuka. He was in a green military outfit befitting of a Japanese soldier.
"Tatara, let's greet him and go back." Neko tugged on Totsuka's jacket and whispered. Somehow Neko had a bad feeling towards the new Gold King. He seemed familiar but yet Neko could not point out when and where she had met him.
Totsuka's eyes glowed in purple and gasped after seeing it with his eyes. He could not believe it.
"Oh aren't you surprised, Totsuka Tatara. You must have figured my identity. I'm unlike you though. I'm a human."
"Why didn't you get in touch with us. Isana Yashiro no Weismann will be elated to see you?" Totsuka felt puzzled.
"Because our path from here on is different. There's a reason why I'm here to see you."
And their surrounding was engulfed in bright white light.
Totsuka saw himself enclosed in a crystal ball-like structure. The other party was hostile. He found himself imprisoned as Totsuka tried to hit the structure with his fist.
"I'm here to destroy the world as ordered by the new Dresden Slate. I'll challenge Weismann and the Kings selected by old Dresden Slate. They had been a failure in fulfilling their roles and that includes you, Totsuka Tatara. You shall watch here as I destroy the rest of the Kings including Weismann." The man declared war with them as the Gold King of the pseudo Dresden Slate.
Totsuka watched as the other Kings appeared beside him. He was quite shocked to see them.
"XX-chan, return to your King and warn him about this." Totsuka opened up the portal to his domain which took a toll of him due to an effect the power with the barrier of the Gold King enclosed in the cell he was within with Neko. Totsuka bit his lip as he was zapped by his own power. That was another effect. Totsuka was not sure what he was up against but it was best for Neko at least to escape.
"No, I can't leave Tatara here."
"Be a good girl, this is an order!" Totsuka nuzzled the girl who turned into her cat form as their cell shrinked. Neko had a hard time containing her power.
"Don't worry, everything will work out, XX-chan. Trust me, trust His Majesty." Totsuka gave Neko a warm smile.
"NO, Tatara!" Neko reached out her paw to him as the portal closed up on her before she was hit by a beam through her small body not even Totsuka could stop it. Neko disappeared from his sight into his domain.
"XX-chan!" Totsuka screamed. Tears of loss welled up his eyes. It felt like that night he left HOMRA.
"That is quite an emotional performance. Totsuka Tatara. I thought you're just an unfeeling man. You were never happy being bestowed by this power many sought for." The Gold King gave out a laugh.
"You'll never understand." Totsuka cried. He prayed that Neko would return to Isana Yashiro and he would be able to save her.
Isana Yashiro was in the arms of his beloved clansman lying on his lap watching the day passed by in the corridor of Ichigen's residence. He wished this moment would last forever and ever but he knew he was being selfish.
"Shiro, what do you want to have for dinner today?" It was a routine for Kuroh to ask Shiro wanted to have for the night's dinner and Kuroh would head out to the city to buy the ingredients.
"Steamboat!" Shiro raised his hands excitedly.
"Steamboat in the summer?" Kuroh frowned at his ridiculous request. Steamboat was best eaten during the winter season.
"Can't we?" Shiro pouted. He enjoyed having steamboat with him and Neko before she left for her trip with the sixth and the undead King Totsuka Tatara around the world in order to meet up with the newly awakened Gold King. By right, Shiro was the one supposed to go but Totsuka decided to go on his behalf as apology for causing him trouble. Shiro did not mind. After all, things all worked out in the end with the Seventh and the Colourless King defeated, and three Clansmen dead.
The power he found and researched on instead of happiness had brought him and other Kings loneliness, despair and loss. The only way to dispel them of their curses was when all seven Kings gathered. It had to happen when all Kings were willing to cooperate and let go of the powers they possessed. With the evil Colourless King running amok and the Green King who was plotting and scheming in the background, Shiro knew that would not happen, thus, Roulette Ritual was another option to force the Dresden Slate to select seven candidates worthy of the thrones and hope for the best. Shiro had chosen Suoh Mikoto to be the next Silver King to save him from his imprisonment. He would be the one who owned the Dresden Slate.
The ritual was stopped by Totsuka Tatara and Fushimi Saruhiko and the crack within the Dresden Slate helped. Totsuka Tatara decided to accept his responsibility as the sixth King representing the will of the rest of the Kings thus stopping the ritual with Fushimi holding two different auras to fix the broken Dresden Slate. The Dresden Slate had removed the Colourless King who had nobody to possess from his throne as punishment as he failed as a King. The rest of the Kings including Shiro regained their rights to their respective thrones and a new Gold King was awakened.
Shiro was curious how the successor of his old friend would be like? He hoped he would not be as strict and serious as his lieutenant but yet if he was not strict, the country would have fallen when the clans were at war with one another. He was too much a pacifist to think that the Kings and their clansmen would be able to live together in peace.
He was grateful to Kokujouji Daikaku for his effort in creating the peace he was enjoying right now. He wondered if his successor could do the job as well as him. Shiro would end his vacation soon when Totsuka Tatara accomplish his mission to bring the new Gold King to him.
"I'll be going, Shiro. Be good and stay at home!" Kuroh nagged like a wife would.
"Yes, my wife. Have a good trip!" Shiro chirped waving his hands at Kuroh who stole a glance at Shiro before leaving for the nearby market in town. Kuroh smiled in return. Never did he know that the next time he saw him, he would become his enemy.
Kuroh was trembling in fear in an alley as his recorder fell off his pocket. He fell on his knees in defeat in the rain as he faced the new enemy who would be challenging Shiro to a war.
A pair of normal parents were looking worriedly outside a normal looking bedroom of their young daughter. A little girl seemingly at the age of 8 with ginger red hair was acting up again. She was talking to a bunch of toys keychains on her bed.
"What should we do, honey, our girl can't stop talking to her keychains?"
"Don't worry, my dear, I have received a contact from JUNGLE, they will be able to help our little girl."
It was something which had been playing over and over again in Minoru's mind as he watched over his sleeping young sister. Her hair had turned from a beautiful ginger red to snow white, an after effect from the treatment from a medical facility run by the top tier members of JUNGLE despite being normal doctors on the surface. They did not even charge them for the treatment as long as Minoru could earn enough points from his mission in exchange.
"Misaki-nii, help…" She was mumbling for her brother who had lost contact with them since her birthday.
"Megumi, Misaki-nii had abandoned us. Minoru-niichan swears I'll earn enough points by break HOMRA down to get you healed." Minoru said grabbing her hand in determination.
\(^_^)/End of Chapter 2\(^_^)/
Here I come presenting a character bio if anybody is interested to read.
Fushimi Saruhiko
No. 3 from Scepter 4 and is still no. 3 despite being hiatus from Scepter 4 for his university studies. He had decided to take up scholarship from Scepter 4 after the Roulette Ritual in order to take care of JUNGLE on his own to avenge his former friend's death and of course to avoid his Captain. Working for HOMRA part-time, he was currently travelling with the former potential No. 3 of Scepter 4, Kusuhara on his journey to Germany to investigate the witnessing of a certain thought-to-be-dead Minato Twins.