STOP READING AND WATCH EPISODE 1 K RETURN OF KINGS
Chapter 2
I'm frozen. My feet can't seem to move as I stand in shock at the video in front of me. "Homra is ended. King is Dead." I see a two bit image of Mikoto and Tatara being slain, making a mockery of their lives. People around me start mumbling in response to this video. Some don't quite understand what it means, others can't get over the disgusting nature of the video. Before long it is over and every screen in the square is back to normal. The mumbling of the viewers continues but now they are walking. I look like a post in the middle of a sea of people, just standing there. I start subconsciously walking, pushing through people and not bothering to excuse myself. Who could do that? Who could make a video like that? Not the blues. Surely not the gold clan. But who other than a clan would be able to broadcast it all over the city like that? I pick up the pace of my feet and suddenly realize that I'm not at the bakery. I've subconsciously wandered down a road I swore I would never walk down again. Standing in front of me on the corner is Homra Bar, the red clan's headquarters. I got so distracted that I came here? Or was something inside of me telling me this is where I needed to come? I take a deep breath and push through the door, fully expecting to see everyone stare at me with judging glances, but nobody is there. I feel almost relieved. I shut the door behind me and take off my coat. I set it on one of the chairs and walk up to the bar. It all smells and looks just the same. I run my hand along the sleek edge of the bar and can almost feel all the Homra memories soaked into it. I see a silver video camera on one of the shelves and whisper to myself. "I can't believe they kept that."
Why is that so hard to believe? It was my favorite thing, aside from you of course.
"I just thought… the old days"
You think they don't care about the old days? Or about you? What did I tell you Kimiko? You have to have faith in the red clan! They still love you.
"They have a funny way of showing it…. Spying on me…."
*Sigh* Still stubborn as ever. Will you just try to think that maybe you miss this place? That they DO want you to be with them again? Homra is still your home, Kimiko. Even without me.
I glance up from the counter as my thoughts of Tatara drift away. I realize, "our room. If they kept his camera… I wonder." I walk up the steps and towards the door at the end of the hall. I grab the handle and it's locked. I try picking the lock with a pin in my hair. I stop trying when I hear the bar door open downstairs. I freeze and listen to the voices. "If you hadn't shown up I could have taken care of that monkey!"
"And where would that have left us Yata? One man short trying to fight the green clan."
"We didn't even need to face those newbs. They couldn't touch us, didn't you see it!"
"Kusanagi is right, yata. You need to try thinking of the entire clan for a change."
"Shut up, Bandou."
"Leave him alone, Yata, and try listening to someone else for a change. Although I agree, that force-field was pretty damn cool. Where was that when the colorless king went after Totsuka?"
"You have a lot of nerve to say that! Especially after that video today." The clan keeps fighting, but their familiar voices are music to my ears. Suddenly everything is quiet, too quiet. Then someone speaks up, "Is that… Totsuka's?" I realize I left my coat on the chair down there. Kusanagi shouts up the stairs, "Come on out, Kimiko. We know you're here." I take a deep breath and walk down, everyone is sitting around the room. They all glance at me as if I'm something fragile that's about to break. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm here. I'll get out of your territory." Some of them look at each other confused. I walk towards my jacket and Kusanagi snatches it away, "You're not going anywhere." I start to get nervous. "Look, I know what this is about, but I didn't come here on purpose. I just…"
"You saw the video?"
"Yea, and I guess I got distracted while I was walking. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trespass." I turn to the door and Eric steps in front of it. "Get out of my way Eric." He shakes his head. I knew they didn't trust me. "Look I'm not here to spy on you! I know you have been watching me because you don't trust me, but I didn't mean to even come here – "
"Wait… you think we don't trust you?"
"I know you don't! I'm sure you think the only reason I'm here is to cause trouble but honestly I don't know what made me feel the need to be here tonight. Now give me my coat!" Kusanagi starts laughing. "Kimiko, is that what you think? We don't want you to go because we missed having you here! Why do you think we don't trust you?"
"Because I left you! That's why you are following me. To make sure I don't turn into a traitor like Saruhiko did, right?" Everyone exchanges quiet glances with one another. Chitose is sitting on a stool at the end of the bar, leaning back on the counter lazily but looking at me with focused eyes. "Miko... we left too." I don't respond trying to understand what he's saying and he continues. "Kammammoto, Yata, Anna, Kusanagi… They were the only ones that never left." I look around at the others, some are nodding in agreement, some make faces of embarrassment. Kusanagi speaks up, "And I was hardly here, working my own investigation for Homra on my own." I look at the floor trying to process what I'm hearing. Shohei adds, "Some of us didn't even know Anna had been kidnapped until after she was rescued." Yata clicks his tongue, "Yea. Because none of you answered your damn phones!"
"What did you expect us to do, Yata? We thought you were just going to yell at us again and call us unfaithful bastards."
"Maybe you shouldn't have been acting like one then Shohei!"
I started looking around room as Shohei and Misaki begin to fight. Some things catch my eye. Flowers in a vase on the tables are just like the ones from the park I visit each day. Two loaves of bread on the counter are wrapped in paper used at the bakery I eat at. I subconsciously mumble… "You haven't been spying on me…" The boys stop bickering and stare at me. "You've been… guarding me. Watching over me for months." Kusanagi smiles, "Kimiko, I can see why you thought we were spying, but you will never be apart from us. We are your clan. Homra protects. I thought it would be a good idea after Anna was kidnapped. I just wanted someone checking on you each day. With your unique powers, you might have been a target for someone like the green clan. So each Sunday I go stop by the bakery about the time you are there. I was there today even, but you didn't come." Shohei speaks up, "Anna and I walk in the park you like. I let her pick flowers while I make sure you are ok." I sit there and a couple tears fall from my eyes as everyone tells me the ways they check on me. Each person has 'Kimiko Patrol' at some point during the week. Kusanagi finished, "Then Yata follows you home on Saturday before finishing his patrol." He sees my face. "We know why you left, Miko. You needed space, so we gave it to you. But you were never alone." I wipe the tears from my cheek and get a grip on myself. "So if you all left, what made you come back?"
"Our new King of course!" Misaki said proudly. I nod, "Oh right, I remember getting the memo…" I rub my shoulder above my Homra tattoo. "So who is he?" Everyone steps out of the way and reveals Anna sitting on the couch. "Anna?" She runs to me and wraps her arms around my waist. This is Homra's new king. Anna. I smile and kneel down looking at her eyes. She is on the verge of tears from missing me so badly. "Well if this is our new King," I tap her on the nose, "Then Homra has nothing to fear." She smiles and hugs me around the neck. "Welcome home, Kimiko."
"So who exactly is this Green Clan. They made that video right?" I'm sitting on one of the sofas now. Everyone but Anna, Rikio, Misaki and Kusanagi have gone out on patrol. Anna's head is in my lap and I run my fingers through her hair. Kusanagi speaks up, "Ever heard of that game site, 'The Jungle'?"
"Yea. I've got kids coming every week to buy their trading cards."
"Well that's the name the greens go by. They have lost sight of reality. All they see is the game, and how many points they can get by taking out other clans."
"So the guys Yata and I ran into yesterday, that was them. That's why one of them took my picture, he thought I was still with Homra and wanted to see how many points it would give him to kill me?"
"I'm afraid so… and if you are on the Jungle's radar now it can't be good."
"I'm not though! His PDA said my affiliation was unknown. Probably because I was long gone before this green clan crap started."
"I wouldn't be so sure, Kimiko. We don't know exactly how long The Jungle has been watching us. You might just not be in their system because they think you left Homra. It might be best for you to lay low for a while. Not be seen with us."
"I guess… so what should I do."
"Just do what you've been doing. Go back to work. Go to the park. Stay at your apartment. Only try to switch up when you do things so you aren't predictable. And let us know where you will be." He hands me a phone, "it has a tracker in it so we can find you if we need to. I'll get you an earpiece too for when you're working."
"Thanks… but what about you guys. I know you have each other but who is looking out for you?" Just then a tall, white haired girl burst through the doors, the afternoon sun outlining all of her. "HI HI!" Her squeaky voice is obnoxious. "Little Anna!" She hurries over and rubs her face in Anna's hair. I look up at Yata and Rikio wondering why they are doing nothing to stop her. Then Anna sits up, "Neko. Hello, welcome!"
STOP AND WATCH EPISODE 2.
