Fushimi plashed some water on his face and looked back up at himself in the mirror. Haggard. Sickly. On the verge of death. That and more was written across his worn face as he scowled at his image. He didn't like his weaknesses broadcast to the world, not like this. Of course, there was no hiding his ailment, not after the show he put on in the main office. He sighed and walked back to the main space of his dorm room.
He'd been allowed to return to his room to change and gather himself. It was difficult to avoid the looks of concern and despair that the other members of Septer 4 gave him as he walked into the office – it probably didn't help that his shirt was still stained with blood and a fine layer of sweat still clung to his clammy skin. But he simply rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue at their expressions and calmly asked the Captain if he could go change into something less garish. Munakata had agreed, so long as Awashima went with him. "Just a precaution. We're not out of the woods yet," he'd said with his trademark smirk. Fushimi scowled, but was in no position to argue.
Then again, walking out in casual clothes to his lieutenant sitting nervously on his couch was something he'd never get used to. The two Clansmen avoided eye contact awkwardly. "I don't have any clean uniforms," Fushimi mumbled.
"That's alright, Fushimi. I'm sure the Captain would prefer you dressed an comfortably as possible, considering the situation," Awashima replied. She stood and gestured towards the door. "Would you like to return? Or do you need to stay here and rest? I'm sure the Captain… would…"
Her words trailed off and a strange expression appeared on her face. Fushimi scowled. "What?" he asked irritably. Did he look like he was about to die already? He was focusing so hard on the silver aura that Shiro had gifted him… He felt in control…
"Um, your…" Awashima said nervously, her eyes flicking down to Fushimi's arms, but she quickly regained her composure. "Your… your PDA!" she reached over and grabbed the device off the coffee table and offered it to her Clansman. "It's been ringing nonstop. I glanced at it once and I think it's your friend from HOMRA. The vanguard."
Fushimi sighed, though he couldn't say he was surprised. He reached for the device.
Oh.
Awashima's earlier stuttering made sense as he reached out and realized that he'd forgotten to roll back down his long sleeves. Without the cover of his shirt or his usual armbands, the long, heavy scars of a time long since passed were clearly visible. He tsk'ed and snatched the PDA from the lieutenant. "Thank you, Ms. Awashima. I think I'll head back now." He pushed both of his sleeves back down and proceeded to check his messages. The second-in-command was right; they were all from Yata. Fushimi turned his back to the woman. "I'll return on my own, thank you."
"But…" Awashima began, but Fushimi had already tuned her out. She sighed. "Captain's orders, I can't leave you just yet, Fushimi. But I'll wait outside until your ready." With that, she turned and left before he could argue further. He gave another annoyed click of his tongue and went back to listening to his old friend's messages.
"Saruhiko! We've got our powers back! Tell me you have yours, too! Call me!"
"Oooooiii! Saruhiko! Saw your King's sword in the sky! That's great news! Call me when you can, I'm sure you busy… talk to you soon, Saru!"
"Don't tell me you're too busy working to send a TEXT or something. This is HUGE! Yatagarasu is BACK! Hurry up and call me!"
"If you don't call me back, I'm going to bust into Septer 4 and land my skateboard on your face! Just because we have our powers back doesn't mean we're enemies again, SARU!"
Fushimi sighed. Leave it to Yata to get all worked up about something that was the norm for them for so many years. Of course, he was probably just excited to have a connection to his King again, living to serve and whatnot… The Reds were fortunate; they couldn't have obtained a better, more loyal vanguard.
Not bothering with a call, Fushimi typed out a quick message to his friend. 'I'm working, Misaki, go bother your own Clansmen.' He pressed send. After a moment of thinking, he figured he better expand upon that message, or risk Yata blowing up at him for not explaining things properly again. So, he sent a second message. 'We met with the Silver Clan, so things are busy here. I'll talk when I can.'
"There, if he doesn't like that," Fushimi grumbled. He shoved the PDA in his pocket and gave himself one last look-over in the full-length mirror on the back of his door. At least now, without the bloodstained clothes, he looked a little less terrible. He glanced down at his arms. 'Awashima saw… but I'm certain she already knew', he thought to himself. The Captain made it pretty clear that he and his lieutenant knew all there was to know about Fushimi and his past when they recruited him into Septer 4. That being said, it was just another sign of weakness that he preferred not to broadcast. Even if it was years and years ago…
A vibration in his pocket pulled him from his dark thoughts and he pulled it out. A message from Yata flashed across the screen. 'About damn time, Saruhiko! I can't wait to hear what the Silvers have to say about all this… Hit me up asap! ;)' And that was all. A smirk appeared on Fushimi's face at how easy it was to placate his old friend. He made a mental note to indeed contact him later… Once he'd figured out how much to actually tell him about what transpired. His smirk vanished and it was all back to business. He pushed open the front door and found Awashima waiting for him. He clicked his tongue and followed her back to the main office.
-o-o-o-o-
Shiro looked at the scrolling wave patterns as they flashed across the screen of Munakata's desk. "I see it," he murmured, pointing to a particular section, "this one, yes?"
"Correct," the Blue King replied. "The program we used to monitor the Wiessman levels of our Kings was designed to run in the background, constantly monitoring activity. Of course, after the Slates were destroyed, no one ever thought to check. After all, our auras had vanished and with them our abilities."
"Only, it was temporary," Shiro provided. "But… how is that possible… When my Sword crashed into the Slates, they should've been vaporized. There were vaporized!"
"Take a look at this," Munakata directed. Shiro watched as a new set of data flashed across the screen. "This is the Wiessman activity on the day we attacked JUNGLE's headquarters." He pointed at the screen just as one set of waves began fluctuating erratically. "This is my Wiessman level after I called upon my Sanctum. As you can see, I was unable to undo it due to its volatile nature. It took all of my effort just to contain it as it was."
"That's pretty impressive, Captain," Shiro said in admiration and surprise. "… you obviously care very deeply for the people around you…"
"As do you, Adolf K. Wiessman," Munakata replied. He gestured to the screen. "As you can see here, you are sacrificing your own Sword of Damocles and, subsequently, your life in an attempt to neutralize the Slates. Watch closely."
Shiro did as instructed. Suddenly, the wavelength that represented his Wiessman level grew more and more erratic. Until… a final burst of energy and all the data began to slowly fade away… and then everything was still. A flat-line. Gone.
"So strange to see it again," Shiro said quietly.
"That's not the strangest part," the Blue King replied. "After some time, your soul located your original body, still perfectly preserved as an after-effect of hosting the Silver King for seventy years, correct?" Shiro nodded. "And as far as you can tell, you've been aging normally, with no more immortality?'
Shiro lifted his hands and smiled apologetically. "Well, it's only been a year or so, right? So I can't say for sure if I'm aging properly or not… But I did get a paper cut the other day…" He extended his hand towards Munakata to show the still-red little slice in his skin.
"So your healing abilities were also normalized," the Blue King commented.
"I'm not sure to what extent, but yes," Shiro replied. "I think there was just enough power for my soul to rebound before it dissipated completely."
"That's just it, Shiro," the Captain said seriously. "It didn't dissipate." Shiro gave him a confused look, so he elaborated. "Look at this…" He activated a timeline on his screen. "This is a sped-up relay of that background program. If you look closely…" He pointed to a series of waves that were steadily getting stronger and stronger. "…this little hum on the Slates' wavelength appears to be multiplying. Almost like-"
"The Slates," Shiro said in disbelief." The Slates are rebuilding themselves."
"It would seem that way."
"But… it's not possible! To reconstruct something from nothing…"
"Would take considerable power, yes? Perhaps a powerful strain? Or a King? Both, maybe?"
Shiro, who had stood from the realization, fell back into his chair. "So… we're still bound to the Slates after all…"
"I'm not so sure," the Blue King replied. "The data suggests that the Slates are reforming, yes, but… Well, look at this." Once more, he played a relay clip, only this one was time stamped from a few hours ago. A series of fluctuations danced across the screen. "If you watch closely, you an see our Wiessman levels getting stronger and weaker, but this hum… the one we think might be the Slates… it remains completely unaffected."
The Silver King scowled. "So… for some reason, we aren't under the Slates' influence…?" An characteristic scowl appeared on Shiro's face as he whispered to himself, "is that even possible…"
"Is it?" the Blue King asked. "To have our aura's without the Slates?"
A nervous smile appeared on Shiro's face. "Well, it certainly seems that way…"
"But, how…"
"I have to look into it… but the reappearance of the Slates are definitely connected somehow. And if they no longer offer some source of protection or control, then that would explain Fushimi's condition." It was the Captain's turn to stare at Shiro curiously, so he continued. "He was able to hold on to and control three colors because of his own willpower and strength, yes… But through the Slates, your Kingship and the protection of your aura acted as a sort of cap. A safety net… Without it, those abilities were able to easily overwhelm him. He's not strong enough on his own to contain them."
"You mean, I'm not strong enough?" Munakata asked. Shiro brought his hand to his chin in thought.
"No… somehow, even with your aura, your Clansmen have to draw upon their own strength now, just as your Sword came from yourself, not the Slates… With our auras, we're connected to our Clansmen, but it looks like we no longer supply their strength. And even with Fushimi's own impressive strength, he can't subdue so many auras all on his own. Not for long."
This put the Blue King in deep thought as well. "…is anyone else in danger?"
"It's… hard to say," Shiro admitted, "without knowing more… But!" He smiled reassuringly at the Captain. "I'm sure you didn't employ a bunch of weak-willed officers in Septer 4, yes? If no one else has had an problems, then I'd say you're in the clear. For now, in any case."
"I see," the Captain replied.
"Munakata," Shiro began, "I'd like to go investigate the crater… the old JUNGLE headquarters."
The Blue King stood. "Very well… I'll meet with the Red Clan, since they first discovered this anomaly, and see if they've had any… similar complications. As well as inform them of what we know."
"Right." Shiro stood as well. "I'll let you know if I find anything interesting."
"Thank you, Shiro… For everything."
The Silver King paused as he read the concern written all over Munakata's face. A kind smile appeared on his face and he said, "don't worry, Mr. Blue King… Fushimi is a top-notch Clansman… We'll find a way to help him and he'll be fine."
The Captain nodded. Shiro excused himself.
"Fushimi," Munakata whispered as he stared at the readouts on his monitor. He hoped it was true… that they could save the young man before it was too late…
Unwilling to let himself be distracted by grim thoughts, Munakata pulled up HOMRA's number to set up a meeting.
-o-o-o-o-
The bar had grown considerably quiet after everyone had dispersed. Once it was determined that the Red Clansmen were, indeed, Clansmen once more, nearly all of HOMRA's members went out into their territory to make sure that the boundaries were secure. With the resurgence of their own abilities, there was no telling what new strains might have gained power as well. It was in their best interest to secure the area as quickly as possible, not just for their sake, but for the sake of all citizens who resided in their territory. Only Kusanagi, Ann, and Yata remained behind.
"So the Blues are coming here, huh?" Yata asked from his spot on the couch.
Kusanagi set a glass of sparkling juice on the counter in front of Anna before answering. "I guess Munakata and Shiro looked over the data and decided it was best we went all in on this one."
"I thought the Blue King said our alliance was invalid?" Yata huffed out. Kusanagi smirked.
"I guess he changed his mind."
Anna sipped her juice loudly through her straw. "I think Reisi… wants to start over."
"Start over?" the barkeep asked. Anna nodded.
"I think he wants change how things are between everyone… this time…" She paused and sipped her juice again. "He called all the Kings so quickly instead of taking it all on himself…"
Kusanagi smiled. "I think you're right, Anna."
She looked up at Kusanagi and returned his smile. "I want to help him… Izumo, Misaki…" She glanced between the two of them. "We should help them."
Yata stood, a blush tinging his cheeks. "W-well, of course! You're our King, Anna… we'll do whatever you need us to!"
"I think she means that we should all want to help, not just be ordered to," Kusanagi replied. Yata crossed his arms.
"I knew that! Besides… if the Blues really need us that badly…"
"You mean, if Fushimi needs you?" the barkeep teased. Yata's blush deepened, but before he could respond, the bell jingled as the front door opened and their awaited guests arrived. "Ah, Captain," Kusanagi greeted. "Oh, and I see that you've brought friends. Fushimi, Seri-chan… Please, have a seat."
"Reisi," Anna greeted as the Blue King neared the bar. Yata said nothing, though he couldn't stop himself from staring at a sickly-looking Fushimi as he walked by.
"Drinks?" the bartender offered. "Seri-chan? The usual?"
"We are here on official business, Mr. Kusanagi. Try to act professional," the lieutenant replied with a sigh.
"Ah, my apologies… Although I admit I was thrown off by Fushimi's attire. I can't remember the last time I saw you in something other than your uniform." He winked at the Blue's third-in-command, who tsk'ed in response.
"Even Septer 4 Clansmen have laundry days," came his bored reply.
"Of course," Kusanagi mused.
"Reisi," Anna said, her small voice breaking the banter. "Have you found out anything?"
At this, the Blue King took a seat beside the Red King, though Awashima and Fushimi remained standing, the lieutenant on his right and Fushimi by the door. "We've… had a minor breakthrough, thanks to Fushimi's programs and the Silver King's insight."
"So you have spoken with Shiro," Kusanagi stated. The Captain nodded.
"I called him once things got… particularly exciting," he replied. "If my Sword survived, then I wanted to know if his did as well. And indeed it did."
"Shiro," Anna whispered. She looked up earnestly at the Blue King. "Does he know why this is happening?"
Munakata shook his head. "My apologies, but neither of us has had much time to analyze the data."
"Pssh, just shove it under this guy's nose," Yata interjected as he waved his hand in Fushimi's direction. "He practically eats, lives, and breathes data."
The Blue King smirked. "Yes, well… He was otherwise indisposed at the time." He turned his attention back to Anna. "We did have the chance to look over the data before he left, but he insisted on going back to JUNGLE's headquarters to investigate in person."
"Isn't that dangerous?" Yata asked. Fushimi responded with a click of his tongue.
"JUNGLE's virtually non-existent. Only the J-Ranking members had any real power and when Hisui Nagare died and the Slates were destroyed, everyone was stripped of it," the third-in-command answered. "There's nothing down there for anyone hoping to resurrect JUNGLE."
"Even so," Munakata said seriously, as if he were deep in thought, "with the data suggesting that the Slate are rebuilding, it could potentially be dangerous to wander around the last place they were seen intact." He brought a hand to his chin. "Silver King or not, all of our powers are unstable. Maybe it was unwise of him to go on his own…"
"He's the Silver King," Kusanagi said with a shrug. "I think he'd know his limits better than anyone else, don't you?"
"Even so," the Captain replied. "It's far too risky to assume anything at this point."
"I'll go." Everyone paused and turned towards Fushimi, who sighed and avoided their gazes. "What? If it's as dangerous as you say, then Shiro should have someone there that knows the layout. As a former member of JUNGLE's J-Rank, I'm the best for the job."
"But, Fushimi-" Awashima began, but Munakata raised a hand to silence her.
"Very well, Fushimi. Report in as soon as you find anything," the Captain ordered.
"Yata," Kusanagi spoke up. "Why don't you go along? Help keep the Red Clan informed?"
"Uh, yeah. Sure," the vanguard replied. He kicked up his skateboard and looked up at his old friend, who only seemed to bothered by the fact that he was tagging along. "Oi, Saruhiko. Stop looking so gloomy and let's go already. Besides, you owe me an explanation! I left you like, three messages!"
"Five, including texts," the Blue Clansman retorted. Yata stared at him incredulously as they left the bar.
"Then why on earth didn't you respond!"
"I did…"
They're bickering faded into the distance until, finally, the bar was just as silent as it was before Septer 4's arrival.
"Sir," Awashima said in a hushed voice. "Are you sure that was a good idea?"
"I'm actually curious to know, too," Kusanagi interrupted. Both Blue Clansmen looked up at him. His expression was serious. "I know that we have a seriously dire situation on our hands, and I know that's why you called this meeting, but… You two spared every single glance you could at Fushimi. Not to mention the kid looked like he was about ready to pass out. Wanna tell me what's going on?"
The was a moment of silence between all of them before the Captain finally moved to speak. However, it was Anna who broke the silence.
"Saruhiko…" she whispered, her clasped hands trembling, "…is dying."
