Author's Note: Due to a dear reviewer asking for the next chapter, I decided to post it even though ten reviews haven't been reached. For those who are reading, please enjoy and drop a review. Your suggestions and comments really help us authors continue writing! Also, I apologize if the characters seem OOC. I try my best to fit their personalities into the storyline. Have fun reading and I hope you laugh during this chapter!
Chapter Two- Heated Debate
Suoh followed Izumo into his bar. The bartender walked to his post behind the par and began to check over the glasses. Misaki and Rikio were having a discussion about different types of boards while Anna was watching the crimson jewels spin around on the countertop. Suoh gazed around the room then let his eyes settle on the couch. He walked forward and gently laid the girl down on the cushions. She was still unconscious with no signs of waking anytime soon.
"Izumo." At the mentioning of his name, Izumo looked up. The redhead had his back turned to him and the blond could see that he was leaving.
"I'm entrusting the girl to you. Don't let anything happen to her. If she so much as coughs, I want to know about it, understood?" The sunglasses that usually covered the bartender's face were lowered slightly so that he could look over them.
"Got it."
Suoh glanced back over his shoulder. "Good." Once finished speaking, he left the bar; hands in his pockets and gaze looking straight ahead. Misaki and Rikio stared after him.
"Hey, Kusanagi?" Groaning, the sunglasses were slid back up and Izumo glared at the boy.
"What do you want?" Misaki spun the board in his hands that he had picked up and lowered his head to avoid making eye contact.
"I just wanted to know if you knew what Mr. Mikoto was angry about."
Izumo didn't even blink at the question. He knew that the boy cared deeply for his leader and would even risk his life for him. Misaki would always get pissed if anyone bad-mouthed the Red King, even another of HOMRA's members. Giving the statement some thought, Izumo decided that they all deserved an answer.
"He's just a little stressed over what happened at the school. Give him some time and he'll come around." The skateboarder kept on fiddling with his board. He raised his head and opened his mouth to ask another question.
"And as for the girl… I believe that he'll make the right decision, though it may take him a while." The open mouth closed as the unasked question was answered. Misaki mumbled an agreement, and then glanced at the girl. Izumo gave him a wry smirk.
"Thinking of talking to her? Unluckily for you, she's unconscious right now." The boy spluttered as his face turned red.
"Y-you!" Misaki, now recovered from his embarrassment, started shouting insults at the teasing man. There was laughter from Izumo and it fueled the insults thrown at him. The racket continued for some time as the people involved tried for a brief sense of normalcy. There was a lull in the conversation though which the sound of rolling marbles could be heard. It jerked Izumo's attention from the exchange with the younger teen.
"What is it, Anna?" he asked, becoming serious. The young girl focused on the moving rocks with undivided attention. Her eyes moved from spot to spot while her hands hovered over the encircled area.
"There are people coming." Izumo approached her, lips already moving in another a question.
"Can you tell how many?" Anna parted her lips slightly as she counted invisible objects. Then came the number.
"Three."
Izumo frowned as Misaki swore and jumped on his skateboard. The group was quiet as they awaited the arriving people. Izumo drew in a sharp, quiet breath as the door to the bar opened. All of the Red clansmen tensed in preparation for an attack. Instead of an ambush, in stepped Seri Awashima of Scepter 4 along with two other members. They glanced around upon entering, and then once the woman spotted the HOMRA bartender, started to head over. Izumo forced a friendly smile onto his face though he was feeling all but welcoming. Awashima had her men halt a few feet back from her being and addressed Izumo in a serious tone.
"Where is Suoh Mikoto?" The blond could feel the corners of his mouth lower slightly in disapproval.
"Nice to see you too. May I get you a drink?" Seri narrowed her eyes.
"Don't play around with me. Tell us the location of the Red King and we will be on our way." Her lips pulled back in the least, as though she were a wolf baring its teeth in warning before attacking. "I'm sure neither one of us wants a fight on our hands at the moment." Misaki snickered. Izumo held out a hand to hold him back before he could do anything rash.
"You are the ones who intruded upon our turf. Don't tell me you expected to walk away unscathed?" Awashima let out a breath. The two men behind her were obviously anxious, as their hands flew to the handle of their swords on the ending of the simple question.
"Is that a threat?" The woman replied calmly, giving away nothing. The man across from her shrugged as though to say 'I don't know. Figure it out yourself'. The air in the room was heavy as the opposing forces judged the other. The Blues tightened their grips on their swords and the Reds responded by allowing a bit of fire to surround them. The groups stared each other down for a few moments. The tension faded once both sides realized that what they were doing was stupid. Awashima sighed while Izumo shook his head.
"Honestly, we have as much idea where our king went as you do." The Scepter 4 lieutenant removed her hand from the weapon handle.
"I had a feeling it was as much. The reason why we came here is because the Captain wanted to know what the Red King was planning to do with the girl and if she had any other abnormal powers. The Captain believes that she may be a Strain and Strains are the duty of Scepter 4. It would only be right for us to take custody of the girl and watch over her, don't you agree?" As she spoke, the woman's gaze traveled over the girl. Concern was in her expression. Her hand reached out to brush a piece of hair that covered the girl's face. "Besides, it wouldn't do to have her wake up in a place such as this. The HQ of Scepter 4 would be much more appropriate."
"Are you saying that my bar is messy?" There was fake hurt in the voice. "How cruel. Just what would be expected from such a heartless woman." The owner of the bar chuckled. "But you do have a point, I suppose. It would be less of a shock to her system. And we have no idea what would happen if she became scared. For all we know, she could blow us to smithereens before we would have a chance to explain. At least at your base, we could manage to pass it off as a police headquarters." There was a nod from Awashima. Misaki started to protest.
"Hey! We can protect her. This is a better place for her than the Blues'! If I woke up in that building, I'd lose it! Hey, Kusanagi!" He turned to the blond. "Isn't a more laid-back place like this better for someone to wake up in? Besides, it's more secluded and out-of-the-way. If anyone tried to attack us then someone could escape with her through the back door. Someone who was fast and knew where they were going." Misaki paused. The two Blue members exchanged glances and leaned their heads together to talk. "And if we did get raided, the Blue HQ could be the next place she could be taken." Izumo smiled at the teen, impressed that he had come up with an argument on such short time and by himself.
"And I suppose this 'someone' you spoke about would be you, Yatagarasu?" The woman didn't hesitate on reading between the lines and pointing out her findings. Misaki's shoulders sagged slightly in defeat.
"Yeah."
Awashima nodded as though she had expected the answer. She turned to one of the Blue men and gestured with her hand. The man pulled out a PDA and rapidly pressed a few buttons on the device. Facing Izumo once again, a triumphant gleam shone in her eyes.
"Then we will be taking her with us. Thank you for your cooperation, HOMRA." The HOMRA members scowled as they realized that they had lost the argument. Izumo frowned deeply and Misaki cursed under his breath. The taller of the Scepter 4 males picked up the girl and gave a nod to their lieutenant. Awashima smiled and the Blues started to head to the door. Suddenly, the shrill sound of a ringtone cut through the air. They stopped their advance promptly. The leader glanced down, and then reached into her pocket for the screaming device. She pulled it out, glancing at the screen once it was in full view. Her eyes widened slightly. Holding a finger up to her lips, she signaled for everyone in the room to be quiet. Once silence fell, Awashima hit the 'talk' button and lifted the PDA to her ear.
"Hello?" There was a pause as the person on the other end spoke.
"Yes, we have the girl. . . No, she hasn't woken up. . . We were about to head back now . . . Yes, sir. . . Yes, sir . . . Understood, Captain." Awashima bit her lip after the last answer and ended the call. Her body faced them with hesitation. She opened her mouth to speak, paused, and then tried to speak again. Nothing came out. Her men looked at her quizzically. After clearing her throat, the woman nervously fingered the pocket where she had placed the PDA. Izumo made a motion with his hand to tell her to spit out whatever she was trying to say. A deep breath helped Seri stand straighter and she finally pulled herself together.
"The Captain wants us to leave the girl." Protests came from in front of her from the men and she let them speak a moment before raising a hand. They quieted down immediately. Shouting could be heard from the Reds as they celebrated their minor victory. Seri glared at them while the man holding the girl set her back down where she had laid prior to their entrance. After he had done so, she finished delivering the massage. "And he wants us to stay here until he comes." There was silence. Groans came from the Reds as they digested the new information. Seri sighed. Izumo waved a hand and spoke to the standing trio.
"You may as well sit down, then." Awashima nodded and they took a seat. Once comfortable, the three went quiet as they waited for the Blue King.
An hour later, the bell above the bar door chimed. In walked both Reisi and Suoh. They were speaking in low voices to each other, seemingly unaware of the staring eyes. The two stopped in the middle of the room and Reisi glanced at the couch. Suoh stepped forward and lead the Captain to a back room. Reisi walked inside. Before he entered, Suoh nodded at Izumo. Then, he shut the door firmly. Awashima stared at the closed door in shock. She had expected, at the very least, a sort of acknowledgment from her Captain. Instead, he had completely ignored her. Izumo spoke before she could stand.
"Relax, Tundra Woman. They will be out soon. Our King was discussing something with him that was obviously of some importance. Don't let the blood go to your head." Seri glared at him for a few seconds, and then settled back down in her seat. During the wait, numerous members of Scepter 4 and HOMRA entered the bar. It filled up quickly. Sure enough, half an hour later, the Blue and Red Kings emerged from the room. Reisi pushed up his glasses and strode over to his second-in-command.
"I apologize for not speaking to you earlier, Awashima. We had to finish the conversation as soon as we could." He said. Awashima abruptly stood up and bowed.
"T-there's no need for that, Captain! We were only worried that perhaps something had occurred." Reisi smiled at her and she colored slightly. His attention drifted over to the girl.
"So she's still not awake, is she?" The blond woman shook her head as her leader walked up to the girl. Reisi frowned, then motioned to Fushimi, who was watching Misaki with disgust. The teen stepped forward with a click of his tongue. At a command from the man, Fushimi lifted the girl up on her feet and supported her by grasping her under the arms. He gritted his teeth as he struggled to hold her up. Reisi sauntered over to the bar counter and spoke to Izumo.
"Can you get me a glass of cold water?" Izumo grinned.
"Sure. Ice or no ice?"
"No ice."
Still smiling, Izumo poured the glass and slid it across the countertop to the customer. "There you go. One glass of freezing cold water."
Reisi grabbed the cup, and in one fluid motion, flicked his wrist so that the water splashed all over Fushimi and the unconscious girl a foot away. The girl jerked awake with a loud gasp. Fushimi clicked his tongue as water soaked the front of his clothes. Suoh let out a sigh and looked over at the Blue King.
"Was that really necessary?" Reisi shrugged as though to say 'It worked, didn't it?'
With a deep breath, the girl shook her head and water droplets sprayed everywhere. Fushimi let go of her and backed away. Her hands patted her dripping hair, trying to squeeze out the water. Water trickled down her face and she shivered as cold air from an overhead vent hit her. Izumo gave her an apologetic smile then jerked his thumb at a door behind the counter.
"There are spare clothes in there if you want to change." The girl pushed the wet hair of her forehead, nodded, and giggled.
"Thanks. I never thought that I'd get woken up like that in my life." She started to head over to the door, when Awashima stepped and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Do you want me to help you find some clothes that would fit?" A smile made the brown eyes twinkle.
"Sure!" The two walked into the room and shut the door. A few minutes later, laughter could be heard through the solid oak. The men outside in the main room stopped their conversations to listen. There was more squealing and Awashima's voice could be heard.
"Are you really going to wear that?" A shriek came from the woman.
"Stop tickling me! Stop it!" The girl's voice raised in a triumphant shout as the laughter continued. Fushimi clicked his tongue.
"They're too noisy," he said then left the building. Misaki glanced at the closing door and chased after him. Anna, curious as to what was happening, ran over to the door and peeked in. She blinked, glanced back at the staring eyes, and entered the room; making sure to slam the door behind her. Suoh sighed for the second time since he had entered the bar. A good ten minutes after the small Strain's entrance, Anna and Awashima came out of the room, shoulders shaking with stifled giggles. The two females headed over to one side of the room and were welcomed back with a load of questions from the guys. Awashima just waved them off, promising that they would see soon. They went quiet as the door opened a few inches. The girl's voice could be heard coming from the room; hushed and muffled.
"Can I come out now?" Seri increased the volume of her voice to address the shy young woman.
"Certainly." A bit of amusement laced her voice.
"Alright then!" The door swung open and out stepped the redressed teenager. She confidently walked forward a few paces then stopped. Silence greeted her. Everyone except for Awashima and Anna just stared. The girl looked around and, with a wide grin and wink, pulled down the shades she was wearing slightly to the tip of her nose.
"Yo."
The single word broke the immediate shock of the crowd. They cheered and roared. Whistling was made by a few and many commented on her new fashion. Reisi, shaking his head, started to chuckle; as did the bartender. Suoh just stared, though whether it was in horror or pure shock was still to be decided.
The girl's new outfit consisted of ebony sneakers with neon green strings that shouted out loud, navy-blue jeans that went along with her dark hair and eyes, a gray tank-top that clung to her hourglass figure, and a pair of black shades that hide her eyes when she wore them. But that wasn't it. Oh no, the girl had also put on one of Suoh's prized jackets. The black fabric matched the sneakers and the fur-ringed hood was pulled up over her head. Suoh choked on the water he was drinking and started to cough. Izumo looked over at him and laughed even harder than what he had been before, causing tears to stream down his face. The Red King blinked to clear his watering eyes. Reisi turned to him and crossed his arms with an amused smirk.
"She's all yours, Suoh." The redhead groaned and let his head fall against the marble countertop. His grumble could barely be heard over the loud crowd.
"What have I gotten myself into?"
Author's Note: Well, I hope I succeeded in brightening up your day with my attempt at humor. These characters are just so uptight, especially the Blues, and that makes it somewhat difficult. So did I succeed? Tell me in a review!
